A Very Good Liar
by BlueGreenGrey
Summary: EIGHT HAS BEEN POSTED! RenPirika... Jun invites all shamans to spend a trial period of three days at her new ski resort. With engagements, old friends and adversaries, and a protective older brother, will the couple have time to fall in love?
1. Holiday Paradise

A Very Good Liar

Disclaimer: As much as I wish it so, Shaman King will never be mine. God knows the havok I'd unleash. By the way, they're all eighteen, Pirika's seventeen, Ren lost most of his fortune and changed his clothes, Jun owns the ski resort, Ren is taller than every girl, except Jun, and he's still fairly short, Yoh and Anna are dating and still engaged, Jun is about twenty, Horohoro is still a baka (idiot, stupid), and their names are supplied from the manga.

This fic revolves around RenPirika, though there are hints of YohAnna and HorohoroTamao.

This fic is rated PG13 as of now for adult situations and language that might not be suitable for those under the age of fourteen, rating may go up...

I have also changed the way I do fics to make it easier on the eyes. My new chapters in 'You Are My Perfect' will be changed as well.  
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Quotes:  
"Communing with nature is fun!" Yoh Asakura

"Sorry I'm so boring." Yoh Asakura

"GRANDPA DON'T HIT ME!" Yoh Asakura

"We've finally found it, OUR HAPPY PLACE!" Ryunosuke Umemiya (Ryu)  
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Chapter One  
Holiday Paridise And An Unexpected Surprise  
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Noone's POV  
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"Hey Tamao, wanna go snowboarding with me?" Horohoro asked the timid girl, shoving two yellow coupons in her face. They clearly printed, 'Free pass to the Shaman Ski Resort! Shaman couples only! Participants will recieve one free room for a period of two weeks, plus exclusive, five star, continental breakfast with lunch and dinner! Attend a banquet dedicated to the grand opening, rooftop rooms include kitchen, bathroom, and fifty inch television! Other activities listed on ski resort grounds. Offer valid for two weeks only. So the guests may evaluate the quality of our hotel, stay is a maximum of fourteen days, or untill grand opening.'.

Knocking Horohoro out of his stupor over a fifty inch tv, Tamao pointed out, "We aren't a couple, Horo-kun." She blushed as Horohoro's face brightened as he marveled at his...moment of genius, "Yeah, I know that. But that doesn't mean they do!" Her blush deepened as she took note of his pleading eyes. The pink haired girl sighed and said, "I'd be happy to go with you, but what if everyone else feels left out?"

"I already thought of that! I gave two to Ren, I don't know who he thinks he'll bring though, and I gave two coupons to Yoh and Anna. Jun owns the resort so Ren'll probably be there, he has to get money from his sister.." Horohoro rambled on, oblivious to the fact that Tamao said she would accompany him.

"I'll be happy to go with you Horo-kun..." she said, inturupting Horohoro's comments about indoor pools and theatres. Horohoro enthusiastically picked her up and spun her in circles until a voice sounded from the doorway "Awww, that's so sweet I think I've become nauseated." Ren was wearing a black hoody with a gold dragon on the chest, his jeans were black and slightly baggy on his muscular frame. Adourned on the right pantleg were two fighting dragons, one red, and one silver. (AN: These clothes are so cool I think I'll have them custom made someday!) Clutched in his right hand was his kwan dao (AN: The spear, work with me people!)

"Back off, Tao!" Horohoro yelled, landing Tamao safely on the ground. The puple haired, chinese shaman glared, "Why don't you make me back off, ainu!" The two boys lunged at each other, Ren had tossed his kwan dao into the hall, wanting a fist fight with the weaponless Horohoro.

Pirika, who was walking through the halls, saw the kwan dao hit the floor. Knowing there was going to be a fight between her hot headed brother and the short tempered Ren, she ran to prevent her brother's further injury. As soon as she stepped into the room Horohoro jumped back in surprise, unhappy that he had not landed a punch. Ren, too stopped short, catching himself from falling because of the unplanned, abrupt halt. Pirika glared at Ren, but Ren was rewarded when her icy look turned upon the baffled Horohoro.

"Onii-chan (older brother), I just stiched you up yesterday!" Ren had no reprieve from torture when she looked at him. But instead of a glare, Pirika wore a bright smile.

"Hey, you're actually wearing the clothes I gave you for Christmas!" A tinge of pink appeared on black clad shaman's cheeks, Horohoro took an unhappy note of this. "So, what of it?" Pirika smiled wider when she glanced her infuriated brother, "Oh, nothing. It's just that, maybe you like me more now..."

Ren turned every shade of red and then some. If they were different people and he was a spectator, he would have found this humourous, a frigid guy blushing at a few remarks made by a best friend's little sister while the older brother stood fuming at the side. Unfourtunately, this was his situation, and he did not find it amusing in the slightest. Until he saw Horohoro's surpressed rage.

Catching onto Pirika's scheme he put on a fake stutter, "M-Maybe you, you can find out by, coming w-with me to the ski resort?" Pirika blushed and fidgeted with the end of her light blue sweater. "Anything you want, Ren..." She inwardly grinned at her brother's reaction. 'Ren looks so cute when he blushes. It's kinda wierd, he actually would look innocent if we weren't playing a cruel joke on Onii-chan.'

She was caught by surprise when Ren took her hand and started gently pulling her out of the room. "Lets go and converse elsewhere." When they were out in the hall he picked up his kwan dao, with a last glimpse into Horohoro's room he smiled, amused at the image of the purple Horohoro and the embarassed Tamao trying to hold him back.

Ren led Pirika downstairs to the living room, where the both of them broke into laughter. "He actually believed it!"

"Ren?"

"I thought he was at least a little more intelligent than that! I don't think a six year old could have fallen for a prank that impossible."

"Ren."

"Just a minute, I'm not done insulting your brother's intelligence."

"Ren!"

"What?" Ren asked, a little disappointed that she interrupted his fun. "Either we tell him the truth, or we play out our lie. He's going to tell everyone what we did!" Pirika explained. Ren mulled it over for a second, "We could kill him."

"Ren!"

"Just a suggestion. Or there's blackmail." Pirika glared at him, much to his discomfort, "Nothing illegal."

Ren sighed, "Fine, if your poor excuse for a brother speaks a word of our previous situation, then he'll be humiliated when we tell the truth. I think we should play this out some more. Besides, it's kind of fun." Pirika blushed, Ren saw her pink face and blushed as well "Not that! Causing your brother to become infuriated!"

"Oh yeah, that." Pirika said sheepishly. Ren was about to launch into an outburst over how she could forget that it was a prank, but was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. The pair looked over to Yoh and Anna, who had been sitting on the couch, innocently watching tv. That was from Pirika's perspective. To Ren they were listening in on his conversation.

But thats just Ren...And Pirika...Holding hands...In Yoh and Anna's perspective.

Yoh had a sly grin slapped across his face, while Anna was staring pointedly at their interlocked hands. Pirika blushed and immeadiately pulled away, Ren leapt away like a frightened rabbit. Both of them turned an interesting shade of pink, so interesting, in fact, that Yoh decided to tease his friends a little before Anna draged him away. (AN: As much as he may enjoy that.) "So, just a guess, Pirika's going with you to the resort, Ren?" he asked the crimson-faced boy.

Ren paled considerably, finally gaining control of his blush. "Of course," he replied, facing Pirika "But only if she wants to." Pirika smiled, taking the coupon he held out to her "Let me go get my snowboard."

As she walked up the stairs to her room, she heard the barrage of questions that Yoh and Anna launched at Ren. She also heard his answers, they were answers that would have melted her heart, had any of them been true. Her room was right between Ren and Horohoro's (AN: Go figure.), when she looked into Horohoro's room she saw his dirty clothes strewn about the floor, and a massive mess of failed plans to assasinate Ren (AN: Gee, wonder why? Could it be because he's an over-protective baka? Nah, couldn't be.) thrown about the computer desk. His computer was on, an inssesant buzzing noise emmited from it as it struggled to hold all the useless progams and information her brother put on it (AN: Poor computer.)

In Ren's room there was nothing on the floor, his papers were neatly stacked on his computer desk, his kwan dao lay resting agaist the wall, and his laptop was closed and shut down. She marveled at the fact that her brother was so different from Ren. How they had become best friends, Pirika assumed, was because they liked the compitition that the other gave them. Even if Ren always won, Horohoro seemed to like being competitive with him. Competitive over everything but her. (AN: Obsessive, ne?)

Dropping the subject of her brother's current hatred for Ren, she slid open the door to her room and walked over to the closet. Pulling out her dark blue snowboard, she admired it's scratch-free surface that she had polished and waxed so many times it would make your head spin. Now she would be flying down the slopes of the 'Shaman Ski Resort'. She'd never been to Spirit Mountain before (AN: I know, not very original, but I'm having a brain fart right now.), she and Horohoro had been training for the shaman tournament, and now that Yoh was the Shaman King they had some free time on their hands.

'Why couldn't I just go with Horohoro? Well, duh, we both have blue hair, are obviously related, and he's going with Tamao. For some reason it doesn't feel wrong, going with Ren. He actually asked if I wanted to come! He's just a good liar.' Pirika sighed, "A very good liar."

"You wouldn't be talking about me, would you?" said Ren, who was standing right next to her, having slipped into the room unoticed. Pirika jumped up in surprise, making her snowboard fall out of her lap and onto the floor. Both of them reached down to grab it, thier hands collided. Pirika blushed and pulled away while Ren made himself busy with picking up and dusting off her snowboard.

"Here you go." He said, handing the snowboard to her. She took it and sheepishly said, "Thank you." Ren frowned "Are you okay?" he asked, stepping nearer to her. Pirika sat down on the bed, "I'm fine. It just doesn't feel right, playing such a mean trick on everyone. Yoh and Anna didn't have to know..." Ren sat down next to her and looked at the floor "You're right. I didn't have to tell them, but the lies just fly out of my mouth before I can take them back or think them over. If you want, after we get into the resort, we can stage a fight. Something that would make it look like we broke up. We could even do it in front of your brother, because he'll probably tell everyone out of sheer joy."

Ren would have continued, but Pirika threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. Ren, not being used to such emotion, stiffened with shock. He didn't even know what to do, so he said, before he could think about it, "Get off." Pirika let go of his neck and folded her hands in her lap. "Sorry, that'd be great. I just don't like lying to people." She put her hand on the back of her neck and blushed.

"I don't like it either, but I'm better at ignoring my emotions than you are. Sometimes, I find that lying to myself makes me forget about that. I wish I could stop that. " Ren said as he got up, he walked over to the door and paused before saying, "But sometimes that's a good thing." He then walked downstairs, leaving a befuddled Pirika blushing at the wall.

Halfway down the stairs, just out of Pirika's earshot, Ren encountered a now sober Horohoro (AN: No, he wasn't drunk, he was just angry.). Ren clenched his fist, preparing himself incase Horohoro attacked him. But instead of starting a fist fight that he would surely loose, Horohoro sat down on the steps. And put his hands in his lap. "You won." He whispered, much to the confusion of the Chinese shaman.

"What?" Horohoro gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, "Don't you get it! She's all yours! Pirika chose you, of all people! Did you know that she had an arranged marrige all set up for her for after we got home from the resort?"

"No. She didn't tell me-"

"That's because she didn't know." Ren was startled by this. Even Yoh knew of his engagement, and that was when he was just a kid. "Maybe this is for the best?" Horohoro looked up at him, "Yeah, I guess she wouldn't like being married to an idiot from the village. " He said as he stood up, the smile back on his face. "But if you ever hurt her, Ren Tao, verbally, mentally, or physically, I'll hunt you down and make you rue the day you were born." Ren also smiled and shook Horohoro's extended hand.

"I look forward to it, Ainu." Horohoro released thier shake and stretched. "Huh, can't be too bad having an arrogant, chinese, rich boy around my sister. Just like old times, ne?" With that he walked up the stairs, and into his oh so filthy room. Ren walked down the stairs and past Yoh and Anna, who were sitting close together on the couch. He cocked an eyebrow and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a glass and filling it with tap water. Just as he was gulping down the last couple of sips, Horohoro walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, hey brother-in-law." Ren spit out the water, then started gasping for air as Horohoro pounded him on the back. "Hey man, you okay?" Ren shook his head vigorously to clear the water and spittle that had rebounded onto his face. "Why the hell are you calling me that?" he asked the laughing Horohoro, fearful of the answer.

Horohoro looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, which it was. "Well, I called my parents and cancelled her engagement. We talked it over, and they called your mom and dad. They then decided that an egagement was to be arranged between you two, both of you having shaman blood and all. Your mom and dad thought it was a great idea, they thought you'd never get married!"Horohoro's speech had been in vain, though. Ren's brain had shut down at 'And they called your mom and dad.'

Ren was now trembling and clutching the edge of the table. His knuckles were white and his face was pale, the sentance was replayed over and over in his head as his eyes dilated. He snapped back to reality (AN: Oh, there goes gravity!) as he heard Tamao call Horohoro from upstairs. Horohoro started walking away and Ren franticly thought of a way to stop the madness.

'Married! The hell I'm getting married! He's joking, he's figured out my prank now he's playing one on me... He's not joking! That's it, I'll tell him it's a prank! He'll have to cancel it! This can't turn out like this! Not again!'

Ren opened his mouth to stop Horohoro, but no sound came out. His stomach felt like it was chewing on lead, preventing any movement at all, his eyes burned because he hadn't blinked. 'Shit! What do I do What do I do? What do I do? I can't get married, even if it is to a pretty, little, Ainu girl- No! Okay, so your getting married, WHEN EVERYTHING WAS JUST A PRANK! I'll just calm down first. Then I'll call Jun, she'll convince Mother and Father to call this whole thing off. Pirika doesn't even have to know that we're engaged. Okay, first... I have to stop Horohoro.'  
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Yeah, the characters may seem a little OOC, but all in all, don't you just wanna push that little button at the bottom of the screen and give me a good review? I ask my readers to please inform me of any mistakes or even spelling errors, and I will fix them to the best of my abilities. I also want some advice, flames are good advice...

If anyone has any ideas, I need a made up character, prefferably male, to act as Pirika's shaman friend. This friend can be from her village, anywhere you want. Don't worry, I'll give you credit for it. This character has to be made up, and plays a very large part in the plot of the story. Because, to put it mildly, I'm drawing a blank. Call it a temporary brain fart.

I'm not going to have Lyserg or Jeanne in this story, because I know almost nothing about them, Hao will probably only be mentioned slightly unless I recieve further information about him, same goes for Lyserg and Jeanne. And because I'm too lazy to look it up, I'll be using American dollars instead of Japanese yen.

As for the little comments that Horohoro and Ren made about old times and Ren's thought of 'not again', those are hints to a plot that will later occur in the story.

Read and review, the usuall, yadda yadda yadda...


	2. Where Do We Go from Here?

A Very Good Liar  
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Disclaimer: As much as I wish it so, Shaman King will never be mine. God knows the knows the havoc I'd unleash. This fic revolves around RenPirika, though there are hints of YohAnna and HorohoroTamao.  
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Chapter Two  
Where Do We Go From Here?  
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Taking five minutes to reassure himself that he could solve this, he finally was able to move his body. Walking to the counter, he picked up a rag and mopped up the mess that he had made when he spit his water into the cabinets. Then he strode out into the living room, past Yoh and Anna, and up the stairs into Horohoro's room. Luckily, he had regained his voice during his climb up the stairs.

"Horohoro! Don't tell her that we're engaged!" He walked into the room to find Horohoro and Tamao locked in an embrace. Turning around and trying to give them privacy, Ren heard Tamao say with surprise, "They're engaged!"

Horohoro laughed nervously and glared at Ren's back, unpleased that he had been interrupted "But you said yourself that she probably would like to know if she's engaged." Ren numbly nodded his head and focused on the wall he was facing. "I want to tell her." Horohoro shrugged and smiled, "Sure!" With that done and temporarily off his chest, Ren walked into his own room, walking right past Pirika's, changed, and lay upon his black futon.

Two hours later, Ren was left grumpily staring at the ceiling. Getting up, he reached into his closet and started packing a suitcase, for lack of anything better to do. He packed four pairs of pants, two of them were dark grey cargo pants, the others, black. Two sweatshirts, one black with a silver dragon on the right arm, the other blood red with a skull that had black flames on it imprinted on the chest. He shoved in two plain, black t-shirts, so the only colors he ever wore were black, grey, and blood red.

He carefully considered his other options before he grabbed his swimming trunks, if there was nothing better to do he could always swim laps in the resorts indoor pool. They were black with silver dragons printed on each pant leg, looking like they were tearing the fabric.

After packing in the other useful items (AN: Such as boxers, socks, deodorant, cologne...), he set his suitcase near the door way and rested his kwan dao near his futon, so he could reach it in an emergency. Laying back down, Ren stared at the ceiling. Then the back of his eyelids. Then the stars outside through the window.

There was a nagging in the back of his mind that further prevented sleep. Nothing worked, he even tried counting sheep. Not that he even expected that to work. After discovering the pleasures of insomnia, meaning all you do is stare at the wall for half an hour, he got up and grabbed his kwan dao. Staring at it's dingy surface, he sat cross legged in the middle of the floor, and started polishing it with a strip of cloth he kept for such situations. (AN: Insomnia is so fun!)

For some deranged reason, this made him sleepy as he continued the polishing for an hour, falling asleep at three fifteen in the morning. For some other deranged reason, he had to be up at five thirty.

Just as fate predicted, someone came to wake him up. The shy Tamao crept into his room and knocked on the sill of the door. She eeped and backed away from the slouching boy as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his kwan dao, which was leaning against his shoulder.

"Go away." Ren mumbled, he lay down on the floor, eager to get back to sleep. Tamao gulped loudly and ran out of the room, right into Pirika, who had been taking her suitcase downstairs. The pink haired girl explained what had happened, and Pirika, being who she is, marched right into Ren's room and lay down next to him.

She draped her arm over his chest and whispered in his ear, "Time to get up, dear." Her ploy did not have it's desired effect. Instead of jumping clear to the other side of the room, Ren was awake and decided he wanted to go back to sleep. He released his kwan dao, smiled, and grabbed the hand she layed upon him, pulling her closer and hugging her to his chest.

"Just a few more minutes." he mumbled in her hair, breathing in the small amount of perfume she wore. She smelled like lilacs, a nice touch. That and she didn't marinade herself in it. Pirika was blushing like mad, and Tamao was trying not to laugh. She could be heard giggling in the hall, as she went to get some help.

Pirika glared at the black t-shirt Ren wore while he slept, "I know you're awake." She heard him chuckle, "Yes, I know that too."

"Then get off me." She heard nothing for a second or two, and no reprieve was supplied when Ren broke the silence. "No, I'm too sleepy, insomnia plagued me last night." If looks could kill then Ren would be dead. Pirika just glared at his t-shirt for a few seconds. Her mood was not lessened by the laughing she heard coming from the group outside near the SUV.

Threatening Ren was obviously not going to work, this guy probably sent the family therapists home crying. Something that would possibly get her killed seemed the only way out of his embrace. Cracking her knuckles, she prepared herself for death. "Ren, as long as I'm here will you answer a question?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

"If I think it's a stupid question."

"Fair enough, are you ticklish?" There was a silence as Pirika moved her fingers closer to his sides, she knew what Ren's answer would be, as this very event had happened years ago. "That's absurd. " Pirika raised an eyebrow as Ren stiffened when she touched his side.

"Don't you dare." he whispered dangerously. Pirika narrowed her eyes, "Watch me." His arms flung off her and he glared at her as she pushed herself off his chest.

Both glares disappeared and were replaced with blushes, embarrassed at the proximity between them. The moment was shattered as Ren recalled that he and Pirika were engaged. He turned his head to face the wall, afraid to fall into her eyes like he had years ago. He was still pinned to the floor, and his kwan dao was out of arm's reach. (AN: As if he would use it anyway.) He thought she was pretty, not beautiful, from a distance, but being this close made him realize she was a goddess.

Pirika saw him turn away and realized how close she was to him. She then saw Ren go into a pensive mode, and got suspicious about what was going on in his purple-topped head. Whatever it was, it was important.

Taking into account that she had him pinned to the floor, she blushed and stood up. Ren rolled onto his side and sat up, grabbing his kwan dao for support he hoisted himself up. Pirika left the room and toted her suitcase downstairs. Ren stayed in his room and changed into the newly washed dragon clothes that started the entire prank. Then he grabbed his suitcase, put his kwan dao over his shoulder and walked downstairs to the SUV.

Horohoro took his bag and kwan dao and put them on the top. Thankfully, everyone took note of Ren and Pirika's uncomfortable silence and decided to suppress their teasing.

In the two front seats were Yoh, driver's side, and Anna, passenger's side. In the middle row was Horohoro, passenger's side, and Tamao, driver's side. Which left Ren and Pirika in the third row, Ren on the driver's side, Pirika on the passenger's side. The SUV started up and Yoh rolled down his window, talking to Amidamaru.

"Just watch the place while we're gone. If there's any major problem the just come by Spirit Mountain and ask for us." Amidamaru nodded, "Yes, Master Yoh. Have a nice vacation."

"We will, don't let any of the spirits wreck the place. See ya in three days." Yoh then backed out of the driveway, and started heading North to Spirit Mountain.

Yoh was focused on making small talk with his fiancée and driving, Anna was navigating the way to the resort, Horohoro and Tamao had started a game that involved finding an expired liscence plate, Ren and Pirika were looking out of the limousine black windows, avoiding looking at the other person. The silence between the two was getting annoying, and everyone else sighed with relief when Pirika started talking to him.

"So, why'd you have insomnia?" Okay, so it wasn't the best subject in the world, but she was drawing a blank. "I'm not sure. I stayed up until three fifteen trying to figure it out."

"Maybe your feeling guilty about something?" Ren scoffed at the question "I've nothing to be guilty for." Pirika frowned, 'He's probably got alot to be guilty for. He just doesn't want to tell me. Maybe I can use some of my old tricks...But then we'll probably end up arguing...And having to defend our own pride against the other's...But that's a chance I'll have to take.'

Ren kept glancing over at Pirika every few seconds. "How long until we get there?" Pirika asked, looking out the window. Anna looked at her watch, "About four hours if Yoh pays attention and goes left. "

Yoh quickly changed lanes and grinned "But I was busy staring at you." This made Anna blush, "Eyes on the road." Pirika smiled at Yoh's simple way of showing affection. He just said what he felt to Anna. She may criticize what he says, but she always acknowledges that he said it. Pirika's brother was the same way, only he said what he felt or thought about everything.

Very unlike Yoh was Ren. He kept everything, whether it mattered or not, bottled up inside. Like, for example, the fact that Horohoro got him engaged. Things involved with Ren, Pirika supposed, just weren't meant to get comfortable like that.

"You ever consider being a psychologist?" This threw Pirika off. Ren exhaled a breath he'd been holding. All he had to do was distract her and everyone else until he could get this whole thing called off.

"Once or twice, why? Are you about to spill some big secret you've been holding in all your life?" Ren looked at her with a blank expression. "You just seem to analyze other people, like Yoh and Anna. And you're very unsettling. What with your azure hair, inquisitive attitude, and piercing gaze. And I'm not disturbed very easily. "

"As disturbing as you are."

"What? Why am I disturbing?" Pirika raised her eyebrows.

"You want to know how _you're _disturbing?"

"Yes. What could possibly be wrong with me?" Pirika laughed at him, which made him frown. "I'm serious."

"About what? You think that there's nothing wrong with you?"

"Quite."

"Okay, you have purple hair."

"I cannot choose my hair color."

"Not your natural hair color, anyway. If you can call purple 'natural'." Ren glared at her. "I refuse to put chemicals on my hair that could damage me permanently. And you have no room to talk, your hair is azure." Pirika glared back at him, her competitive streak taking over any sense of judgment she currently held. "What about shampoo? Don't tell me you don't use shampoo. And how do you know that I didn't dye my hair?"

"I don't use shampoo." Pirika's eyes widened, "What?" Ren sighed at her new reluctance to sit next to him. "I use a natural blend of boiled herbs, at least they don't poison me." Pirika then felt safer sitting next to him.

"And I know that's your natural hair color because it's also your brother's, and because you don't smell like pesticides. You smell like lilacs." Ren quickly realized his mistake and looked out the window, turning crimson. Pirika also blushed, but only for a second.

"I only smell like lilacs, because you bought me that perfume for Christmas last year. " Ren now turned to face her, he'd forgotten about that. "I thought you threw that out."

She blushed and looked at the clothes Ren was wearing, "I thought you burned the clothes. I just started wearing the perfume yesterday." Ren smiled, finally feeling comfortable around his 'finance'. "Same thing with the clothes."

It was strange, but right now Ren didn't care. He didn't worry about the stares people gave him. He didn't think about his engagement to Pirika. He wasn't self conscious at all and completely oblivious of the world around him. The only thing he noticed for the next few seconds, was her.

Every move she made, it was graceful to him. Every time she smiled, it was like meeting an angel. When she laughed, the sky erupted into sweet music only found in romance. In every way, shape, and form he had become infatuated with the girl who's existence to him years before, or at least after he was fourteen, was nothing but a dead fly on the windshield of life when the wiper blades weren't working.

Snapping out of his little vacation to Loony Land, he noticed the hand that Pirika had been waving in front of his face for fifteen seconds. "Stop that." he said pushing her hand away. She put her hand down and said, "You were out of it for a second. Did you hear me?"

"Hear what?"

"We were talking about what's wrong with you." Ren berated himself mentally, 'Of course it's that! How the hell could you think it was something else! Baka!' Instead of insulting himself out loud (AN: As much as we all wish to see that.) he said, "I know that! What could possibly be wrong with me? And don't say 'purple hair', because I can't help it."

"You have yellow eyes."

"Alot of people have yellow eyes."

"Uh-huh." Pirka said as she slowly nodded her head, a sign that Ren took as non-belief. "Fine, not many people have yellow eyes or purple hair." Pirika nodded with satisfaction, glad she had won the argument. Or so she thought.

"But, since those are both characteristics that I can't help, there is nothing wrong with me." Pirika frowned and started debating whether or not to tell him the long list she had put together of what was wrong with him. She chose to tell him.

"You have a large ego, you think too highly of yourself, you're very obsessive, when you were thirteen you had a six-pack-"

"Thanks for noticing." He said sarcastically. "Shut up. I wasn't done."

"Then, please, continue. " Pirika glared at him and did just that. "You're too sarcastic, you wear black-"

"What's wrong with black?" Pirika thought for a minute, " It may go with anything, but everyone needs a little bit more color. Now stop interrupting me. You're short, you don't use shampoo, you carry a weapon, you've tried to murder my brother several times, you get money from your sister, you don't even have a job, Hao is nicer than you and he tried to kill everyone!"

Ren was paying strict attention, surprisingly. "Go on, I like the direction this is taking." This made Pirika flustered. Little did she know, that everything she said brought a stab of pain to Ren. In the back of his mind, he was considering whether or not he was a good person, and if he should consider changing himself.

"Your attitude towards everyone around you is that of a sadistic little jerk." That hurt, alot. It actually made Ren flinch. 'Am I really that horrible? Does she actually believe that? I don't mean it, Pirika, I'm sorry.'

"And you're such a damn good liar!" Ren noticed that everyone else was staring at them. He secretly nudged Pirika, "So, there's nothing that's even remotely close to perfect about me?"

"No, but people love others for their imperfections."

Ren smiled, and to himself it was sincere. Pirika also smiled, and noticed that they were still staring at them, "What?" Everyone started laughing. "What?" Ren asked, narrowing his eyes.

Anna (AN: She too was laughing, amazing as that may seem.) was the only one with enough sense to stop laughing and explain everyone. "Maybe you should stop flirting and help unload the truck. Because, if I'm not mistaken, we're here."

Ren and Pirika blushed and looked out the window. The mountain was about a mile away from the actual resort, but it was tall and proud. It's white surface was so bright you couldn't stare at it for very long. So instead of looking at something so beautiful it was painful, they all averted their attention to the majestic resort. Five stories tall, you'd have to look close to make sure it wasn't a mirage.

There was an empty, covered, outdoor pool to the left, and to the right was a mass amount of forest. They were in front of the resort, in the massive parking lot that was filling with cars full of shaman couples.

Horohoro whipped open the doors to the SUV and jumped outside. "Not bad, not bad. I've seen better mountains." He stated, before he dodged his sister's punch. "Onii-chan, Jun bought this mountain, you should be grateful she even let you come!"

"I am!"

Ren looked away from his source of amusement and walked to each car door, checking the power locks. Yoh walked up to him and grinned.

"You have a spear, Ren. And quite the reputation as a Tao, I don't think anyone is going to come near our truck. And if you don't scare them, maybe a Shaman King can."

"You say Shaman King like it's a common career." Ren couldn't help but grin as Yoh shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe there's someone else who could beat me?"

"Don't count on it, Anna wouldn't let you lose." They both laughed until Pirika walked up. "Hey guys, we have to get out our coupons, they'll send someone for our stuff."

"Thanks, Pirika." Yoh said, heading over to Anna and linking his arm in hers. They then proceeded to the entrance to the resort. The man at the entrance was a very large shaman who could have taken on Ren and Yoh put together easily. Yoh may have been a powerful shaman and role model, but even Hao wouldn't try anything with this guy around.

The name tag said "Hi my name is: Eric", and Eric was taking the coupons, ripping them in half and giving everyone a pass. He was also the person judging if you were a couple or not. Alot of people were taken out of line, and kicking the ground in frustration because Eric had seen through their ploy.

Just to make it look realistic, as they walked toward the entrance, Ren grabbed Pirika's hand and walked closer to her. It was more because she had been about to back out than because he wanted to...Right?

Eric took their coupons, ripped them in half, took one look at them, and handed them their passes with a big grin on his large mug. When they got away from Eric and near the group again, they unclasped their hands and put the passes in their pockets.

"Whoa, that is one big guy." Horohoro said, trying hard not to look at Eric. The muscular man had found some fakers, they caused trouble, and he busted the boy's jaw. The girl was so frightened that she just backed off, dragging the boy back to their car. Personally Ren thought it was better than a horror movie. (AN: Me too...)

"We're going to get our rooms, you coming?" Pirika asked him. He shook his head, "I want to look for my sister." Pirika shrugged, "Okay, I'll meet up with you in front of the checkout desk in an hour?"

"Sure." he said, actually smiling. He watched her as she walked into the building, the smile still there. "I always knew you would go back to her." Ren jumped when he realized his sister was next to him.

"Don't do that!" He said, regaining his composure. Jun laughed, Ren frowned a this. "What, exactly, do you find amusing?" Jun stifled her giggles and said "Nothing, it's just that are you always this tense, or is it just when you're around your fiancée?"

"That's not funny. She shouldn't be my fiance in the first place, if Horohoro would've just kept to his own business then I wouldn't be in this situation!" Jun raised an eyebrow, "What's going on, Ren?" Ren crossed his arms and forced himself to say, "We were playing a prank on her baka brother. So now he's gotten us engaged! Father's never going to let me live this down!"

Jun listened carefully to her little brother's story. But she was taken by surprise when Ren asked her to call the whole thing off.

"Ren, you can't just call off a wedding."

"Well, why not! We shouldn't get married, we have no reason to! She's just my friend! I thought we went over all of this last time!" They were in Jun's office now, having walked there during Ren's explanation. "I know, I'll do what I can, but I'm not guaranteeing anything."

Ren nodded and got up from his seat. When his hand was placed on the doorknob jun stopped him. "HoroHoro called me, he said that you wanted to tell her of your engagement. She doesn't know, does she?"

Ren grimaced, his sister knew him far too well for his own liking. "No, I didn't plan on telling her." He took note of his sister's oh so reassuring silence (AN: It's a little thing called sarcasm.), and took it as a sign to continue. "She's made it quite clear what kind of person I am. I don't think she'd put up with me for very long if we were wed. She's my friend, the only one who pays attention to what I say. I've known her for eleven years, and over that period of time I've concluded that we were never meant to be more than friends. And I would give my friend...No, my _best_ friend...anything she wanted. And I don't think she wants to put up with me. Not again."

Jun stared dumbstruck at the door as Ren quietly shut it behind him. 'The past is catching up, it's nice to see Pirika again...' She then called up her parents.  
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I need those ideas! If you don't contribute Eric will be sent over to intimidate you.

Man I feel pathetic right now... Anyway, read and review. Max, the voice in the back of my head, says I should stop being so mean to Ren. I told him to stick his head in the gutter and hope it doesn't fall off.

Yes, Ren has been an acquaintance of Pirika's for eleven years. Find out more in later chapters.

Read and review, the usual.


	3. Interruptions Are Annoying

A Very Good Liar  
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Disclaimer: As much as I wish it so, Shaman King will never be mine. God knows the havoc I'd unleash. This fic revolves around RenPirika, though there are hints of YohAnna and HoroHoroTamao.

I don't own 'Hanging By A Moment' either. Lifehouse does, take it up with them.  
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Chapter Three  
Interruptions Are Annoying  
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"Hello, Tao residence?"

"This is Tao Jun, would you please connect my parents?" She could hear nervous shuffling as the servant realized who he was speaking to. "Of course, Mistress Jun." There was a pause as the manservant linked her phone call to her parent's room. "Hello?" A deep voice echoed into the receiver. It was her father.

"Hello Daddy, Ren has a request." She could hear a dull silence as her father looked at her mother. "What is it now?"

Jun knew that she might regret telling him, her parents were very strict and followed tradition to a fine point tip. 'I better be getting something out of this, Ren...'

Jun cleared her throat and prepared for her father's barrage of curses. "Ren wants you to cancel his engagement."

"WHAT!" the powerful voice bellowed into her ear. She could hear her mother take the phone from her enraged father, who could be heard loudly cursing his son in the back ground. Ran's melodious voice now filled the receiver, "Why would he want to do that, dear? This is only the second time that he's-"

Jun sighed, "Yes, I know...He's not in love with Pirika...He was wrong and doesn't want to get married."

She heard her mother gasp and her father swear. En wrenched the phone from his wife's petite grip and hissed into the phone "We paid a fortune to arrange all this again, and my own son has the indecency to..." Jun heard a pause as her father tried to calm himself. "Tell him that we need to talk, knowing him he asked you to do it."

"Yes Daddy. I'll have Ren call you." She heard her mother take the phone and shoo her father away, "Don't worry about him, tell Ren we're discussing it."

"Oh no, we're not! Getting married is good for him, we already paid a fortune! He's just trying to squirm his way out of something he doesn't want to do! I say we let him squirm!" She could hear her father shouting, she could also mentally see her mother rolling her eyes at En's useless rants.

"Your father loves you, I'll speak with you later dear."

"Goodbye, Mom." She put down the receiver and sighed with relief. She had no clue what exactly Ren had gotten himself into, but whatever it was she hoped that she had nothing more to do with it. Trying to talk her father into something he didn't want to do was hard enough, and she had a feeling that she wasn't a fifth of the way there.

Sure enough, Tao En called back...  
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With Ren  
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Ren walked to the checkout desk and glanced at he clock. He was fifteen minutes early, and yet, instead of walking away to do something more interesting, he sat down on one of the ornate benches.

Nothing seemed to pass the time besides thinking of Pirika. Though every time he thought of her, he forced himself to think of something else. This made the time until their hour was up pass agonizingly slow.

When he next glanced at the clock, he still had ten minutes. He restrained himself from yelling at the innocent looks people were sending at him and tried to think of anything besides Pirika. ' Why the hell is he looking at me, he has green hair?' By his next glance he had run out of patience, mental insults, and he was getting worried. The clock said that she was five minutes late.

Had he been paying attention, he may have noticed the clerk at the checkout desk discussing the room situation with the azure haired woman Ren was waiting for.

"No, I'm sorry, but we're fresh out of two bed rooms. Your room number is forty-four A, correct?" Pirika grumpily nodded, " Yes, it is." The clerk tapped a few keys on the desk computer, and smiled. "You're engaged, guests whom are engaged get a rooftop room that includes kitchen, bathroom, and living room utilities. But those rooms have only one bed."

Ren seems to finally have noticed her, because he walked up to her and listened to the quarrel. '_One_ bed!' He saw Pirika's mouth drop open at the clerk's sentence, she immediately blushed and vigorously shook her head "Oh no, I'm not engaged! There must be some kind of mistake!" The color drained out of Ren's face, '_Dear God._ She's going to murder me...'

A plan came to mind, it was pure genius. He tapped Pirika's shoulder and asked, "What's the problem, Pirika?" She turned, finally noticing the Chinese shaman. "They think _we're_ engaged! And our room only has one bed!" she shouted incredulously. Ren turned to the man at the counter, "There must have been a mistake, we aren't engaged and don't plan on getting married until we're twenty-five," Ren could see the obvious discomfort on Pirika's face, so he forced the blood to rush to his face and said, "And we don't sleep together..."

The clerk was also put into discomfort as he caught the glances that the crowd that they were attracting threw at him. He sighed and looked sincerely apologetic as he said, "I'm sorry, but we cannot change your room. I also apologize for the mistake, our management looked into it and gave you a rooftop room. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, the resort could give you the access to areas that regular guests are not allowed to go to, such places that can only be attended by engaged or married couples. Consider it our way of making the most of your situation and apologizing for our mistake." The clerk was now bowing profusely and muttering useless profanities about the resort management.

Ren nodded curtly and glared just because he liked the effect, "Good, and what can you do about the single bed?" The clerk gulped loudly and avoided the gaze of the Chinese shaman before him. "There is nothing I can do, sir." The 'sir' comment made Ren smirk. He liked making the taller, older man feel smaller than himself.

Still, Ren sighed. This meant one of them would be sleeping on the couch, he would probably end up being that person too. "Stop calling me 'sir', Mr. Tao would suffice." He inwardly laughed as he saw the clerk's eyes widen. "Tao Jun is my elder sister. No need to look surprised!"

His amusement at the man's embarrassment would have continued, if Pirika had not nudged him in the ribs. It made him wince, as she was pointedly staring at him. He got the message and reluctantly turned away from his fun. Pirika sighed in relief and dragged him to their room.

Since there was nothing else to do and no conversation had started, Ren took in the majesty and splendor of the fine establishment known as the Shaman Ski Resort. Everything, even the benches that were occasionally placed near a wall, was ornate and looked expensive. Jun must've had to do a lot of convincing to get her father to go with the billions that she probably spent on the furniture alone. Luckily, though, the Tao fortune was very expansive to everyone except Ren, who had lost his share for his disobedience to his father, Tao En.

There were many people in the halls, though none gave the pair a fleeting glance, being too absorbed in their partner to care. Ren openly showed his disgust, he was practically drowning in the sweetness and absurdity of it all. 'PDA should be banned. ' Ren silently vowed that he would never do anything remotely close to the act of placing one's lips on any part of another's body. But he couldn't help but wonder...

'I wonder if I'll ever get to kiss Pirika like that?' he thought as he gazed upon a couple that were sitting on a bench, kissing their partner sweetly and intimately. Ren, after realizing what, exactly, he had thought, started gagging. Pirika, however, took no notice of this whatsoever. She continued to drag Ren to the elevator, who cussed himself out the first three stories they traveled upwards for thinking of such sin.

Pirika chose at this time to talk, "Where would they get the idea that we're engaged? That's disgusting! I mean, we aren't right?" Ren, surprisingly, felt slightly hurt at her words. "Not anymore...but looking at the bright side of things, we get a fifty inch television." Pirika glanced at Ren,"Where did you learn to look on the bright side of things?"

Ren grinned, "From Yoh, Asparagus Head-" He stopped as she hit him over the head. Okay, maybe he deserved that. "Not to mention my sister has been making me talk to her more, and you know how enlightening that can be, and... And you." They were both blushing when Ren said this. Pirika turned away, "You don't have to say that. No one's here..."

_Desperate for changing,_  
_Starving for truth,_  
_Closer to where I started,_  
_I'm chasing after you._

Ren sighed and caught her chin in his fingers, forcing her to face him. "I'm serious. You look on the bright side of everything, even when your brother was beaten by both Yoh and myself. You helped me..." Pirika turned beet red and was reminded of the time she had almost kissed the yellow eyed shaman.

_I'm fallin' even more in love with you._  
_Letting go of all I've held on to._  
_I'm standing here until you make me move._  
_I'm hanging by a moment here with you._

She could've sworn that Ren was closer to her than he had been a moment ago. But then she realized that she too, was moving toward him. Ren's eyes showed a hidden emotion that she could not place, but they definitely held truth.

_Forgetting all I'm lacking,_  
_Completely incomplete,_  
_I'll take your invitation,_  
_You take all of me._

Her mind was screaming for her to stop looking into his hypnotic pools of gold. But her struggle was futile. Her breath had been stolen from her lungs and her voice long since gone. She didn't even so much as gasp when Ren put his hands at her waist and started pulling her closer to his body.

_Now I'm fallin' even more in love with you._  
_Letting go of all I've held on to._  
_I'm standing here until you make me move._  
_I'm hanging by a moment here with you._

Ren was reminded of just how close he and the azure haired Ainu had gotten over the past two days. He had shared some of his deepest secrets with her that he had a difficult time explaining to his sister over the course of eleven years. He had agreed to do whatever she wanted, _if_ that's what she wanted, when they got to the resort.

_I'm living for the only thing I know._  
_I'm running and I'm not quite sure where to go._  
_And I don't know what I'm diving into._  
_Just hanging by a moment here with you._

He recalled that he had wanted to kiss her awhile ago. And he found himself looking towards her lips. A symbol of purity, innocence, they drew him in. Before he could take control over his actions, his hands wove their way around her waist, unconsciously pulling her snug against his body.

_There's nothing else to lose._  
_There's nothing else to find._  
_There's nothing in the world, _  
_That could change my mind._

'It wouldn't be so bad to kiss her would it?' the purple haired boy thought. 'We're just acting after all. Yeah, that's all this is...Acting...'

_There is nothing else._  
_There is nothing else._  
_There is nothing else._

Pirika subconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck. Surprise lanced through Ren's eyes, but it was soon quieted as he fell into a trance, staring at her lips. She knew that in the next few seconds, the inevitable would happen...

_Desperate for changing,_  
_Starving for truth,_  
_Closer to where I started,_  
_I'm chasing after you._

No matter how loudly his mind screamed that this was wrong, it felt right to him. Ren remembered what he told Jun. He told her that Pirika was his best friend. He knew that the inevitable would happen, she wouldn't be his best friend anymore...

_I'm fallin' even more in love with you._  
_Letting go of all I've held on to._  
_I'm standing here until you make me move._  
_I'm hanging by a moment here with you._

But he didn't care at all as he stooped to claim her lips, he knew he wouldn't lose her, because the inevitable has the sickest sense of humor. And he knew that he had, somehow, fallen in love with an actress...

_I'm living for the only thing I know._  
_I'm running and I'm not quite sure where to go._  
_And I don't know what I'm diving into._  
_Just hanging by a moment here with you._

Pirika knew it was there, the whole eleven years she had known the arrogant bastard that now stooped to kiss her, the spark that kept her from having a civil conversation with Ren. She was just so afraid, she had denied it since she saw his handsome, glaring face. But she had a feeling that he felt it too. The inevitable fact that would change her life, was always right in front of her... She had fallen in love with a very good liar...

_Just hanging by a moment._  
_Hanging by a moment._  
_Hanging by a moment._  
_Hanging by a moment here with you..._

Just when their lips were about to connect the elevator halted on the fourteenth floor, making a ding as the elevator doors slid open. Passerbys and people waiting to use the elevator smiled at the pair. Ren and Pirika both turned tomato red and pulled reluctantly away from each other. They willed themselves to forget what happened as they stepped out of the elevator, but their efforts went to waste.

On the way to the hotel room, Ren was mentally kicking himself, angry for allowing himself to forget that it was a prank and thinking that there was any chance she wasn't acting. 'But in the elevator, she wrapped her arms around my neck... That has to mean she feels something... No, she couldn't love an arrogant, Chinese, sadistic, sarcastic, violent person like me.' He thought thinking back to their argument in the car. He remembered how sincerely he asked her what she liked about him, and how truthfully she answered.

Pirika said nothing to Ren as she led the way to forty-four A, she was so involved in her thoughts that she wished she could just sit down on one of the benches. 'He couldn't have meant what he said, what he was about to do. But he held me close and looked sincere... Maybe that was my mistake... Falling in love with a very good liar.'

Both of their thoughts were cut off abruptly when they reached the room. Elegantly carved into it were the number and letter symbols that would be the indication of where they would spend the next three days together. At this thought Ren seriously considered sleeping in the car.

Pirika slipped the key card into it's slot and opened the door when the light went from red to green. As they walked in the room Ren stared in awe. Pirika had done that earlier, but was not nearly as surprised as Ren was.

The entire room had been fashioned as neatly and ornately as the Tao mansion, though it was not as Chinese. 'Does it matter? I'm going to spend most of my time arguing with my parents about the engagement, I won't have time to spend gawking at the decorations.' For some reason Pirika entered his mind. He looked over at her, admiring her beauty. He wouldn't have called it beauty, he would've called it the sunlight that shone in through the window reflecting off of her face.

He watched her walk out onto the balcony. It took all of his willpower to not run out just to make sure that she was okay. 'Of course she's okay. She's just walking out onto the balcony... But what if she falls? And I can't catch her because I wasn't there...' He was so involved in his internal conflict that he had not removed his eyes from Pirika's back.

Pirika cold feel his stares like they were boring holes into her spine. She turned around and saw Ren standing on the other side of the room. She grinned and walked closer to the edge of the balcony. She laughed when Ren took a step closer to the doorway out onto the balcony, and still stood ten feet away from the door. "What's wrong, Ren? Care to join me out here?"

She smirked when Ren looked from side to side and shook his head, "I think I'll stay inside, thanks." He frowned when Pirika laughed at him again, "What is it that you find so funny, pray tell?" She grinned as she prepared her taunt. "Nothing, unless you count the great Tao Ren being afraid of heights humorous, that is."

Ren blushed and crossed his arms, glaring at Pirika. "That's got nothing to do with it." Pirika laughed again, "Oh my God, you really are afraid of heights! That was just a guess, but I thought that a Tao isn't afraid of everything." Ren blushed and took a threatening step forward, "I am _not _afraid of heights!"

"Are too."

"I'm not afraid of anything!"

"Except being tickled and heights."

"I am not _afraid_!" He spat out the word like it was a hot piece of coal. Pirika grinned and beckoned him closer, "Why don't you prove that by coming out here? Unless you really are afraid?" Ren gritted his teeth and stepped towards the balcony until he was in the doorway. Truth was that he really didn't like heights, and his fear that had been shoved away for years returned full blast. He stopped there, and looked up at the taunting, Ainu girl.

Panic seized his heart when he saw her sitting on the ledge. He wasn't even thinking when he ran over to her, lifted her off the ledge, and set her on the stone bench that was placed conveniently nearby. Pirika sat on the bench, blushing as he didn't remove his hands from her waist. The way Ren rushed over, she had been afraid that he meant to push her off, but he had only lifted her up and placed her on the bench. His hands were warm through her sweater, her ocean blue eyes locked with his.

"You should be more careful, you could've fallen..." he murmured, a deep truth crossing over his features as his gaze and expression softened. She was close to him again, he fell in love with her all over again. And there was nothing he could do as he started to, for the second time that day, lean down to press his lips to hers. He kneeled down so he was at her level instead of stooping, his arms working on their own as he pulled her closer.

"I could have lost you...I don't want to lose you to a ledge..." he whispered, his breath tickling her face as they began to close the gap between their faces. Pirika was beet red, remembering that he'd said that phrase years ago on a different balcony, but she made no attempt to pull away, or shirk his touch. His warmth as he pulled her closer was lulling her to sleep almost. Barely conscious, she was awoken when she felt his lips lightly press against hers, as light as the wind can weigh on a bathroom scale. A shock went through her body at the small touch. She was disappointed when he looked up at Horohoro, letting Pirika slip out of his arms.

"What do you want?" Ren agravatedly questioned the brainless Ainu, who was clueless as to what he had just interrupted. Horohoro waited until Ren stood up from his kneeling position and said, "I was wondering if you two wanted to join us, we're going to go to the arcade!"

Ren frowned, "Who's 'we'?" Horohoro had a large smile pasted on is face when he said, "Yoh and Anna, and Tamao and... and... uh..."

"You?" Ren supplied, smirking at the stupidity of the Ainu man. "Yeah!" Horohoro said, acting like the enthused little boy he is. Ren rolled his eyes and was about to say something when Pirika cut in, "Sorry, we're still putting away our things. We'll see you in an hour or two, okay?" Horohoro grinned slyly at Ren, which completely freaked him out. Both of the boys watched her as she walked back inside the room. Ren only looked up from her when Horohoro cleared his throat.

"What?" he asked the now serious faced Horohoro, who still grinned at him, but with slightly less vigor than before. "You know what." Ren frowned at the over-reacting boy, "Actually, no I don't." That made Horohoro frown, 'Trying to avoid the subject, huh? Well, you've got another thing coming my dear brother-in-law...' He jumped down onto the balcony, landing with a thud on his ass (AN: Pardon my French.). He grumbled as he rubbed his backside, trying to get up and regain whatever dignity he had left. He got right up in Ren's face and pointed his finger at the slightly shorter man's nose, saying in a deadly whisper, "Don't you even _think_ about sleeping with her!"

Ren blinked several times. He honestly expected something different. But he grinned and decided to tease the Ainu man, "Actually, I was planning on _screwing_ her _senseless_." Horohoro's eyes widened at the gall Ren showed. His face turned a pale shade of purple as he shouted, "DON'T YOU TOUCH MY SISTER! I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL MURDER YOU, YOU'LL RUE-"

"The day I was born. Yes, I know. I was just jerking your chain." Ren said as he grinned at Horohoro, who was slowly inching closer to Ren. "Pirika, tell your brother that he's overstayed his welcome." Ren called into the room, crossing his arms in front of his chest in victory. Horohoro smirked at Ren and whispered, "Yeah right, she's not going to-"

"Onii-chan, go have a fun time with Tamao. She's probably tired of waiting for you, considering how long she waited for you to fess up to your infatuation with her!" Horohoro's jaw dropped open, Ren's smirk widened and he whispered, "Ouch...Sayonara (Good bye) Asparagus-Head!" Horohoro would have struck him if Pirika had not walked out onto the balcony. She pushed her brother through the doorway and out the door of the room, him shouting profanities all the way.

"Don't you dare touch her, Ren! Stop it Pirika, that hurts!" He shouted when Pirika grabbed hold of his ear. When they were in the hallway she scolded Horohoro for yelling so loudly, among other things. Horohoro and Pirika both turned red when Ren snuck up behind the female sibling and snaked his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. "Yes, Horohoro, you were yelling much too loudly. Now if you'll excuse us, we have to get back to unpacking." He said as he nuzzled Pirika's neck, making her grow even more red from embarrassment. Horohoro did not find it amusing, like Pirika secretly did, in fact, he was purple with rage. Ren made quite a show of leading Pirika into the room, kicking the door shut with his foot. He heard a thud as Horohoro leaped for him but hit the door instead.

The pair laughed as they heard Horohoro moan in pain and crawl away. They continued to laugh as Pirika's weight brought them to their knees, and soon to the floor, Ren falling on top of her. They slowly stopped laughing, Ren had managed to grab her wrists and hold them above her head. Reminded of the last time they ended up on the floor, (AN: When we found out Ren was ticklish.) they blushed at the proximity of their faces, and the position they were in.

But, having already been interrupted three times, Ren wasn't going to give up that easily. He knew who he loved, and what he wanted from her, and he severely hoped he got it. (AN: Not that, you hentais perverts, lechers!) His breathing got heavier as he shifted his weight off of her wrists and onto his knees, which were being pulled up, making him straddle her waist.

Pirika blushed at their new position, but was startled when Ren moved his hands from her wrists to her own hands. He closed his fingers around her hand. She did as well, looking up at him as he pulled her hands away from above her head. She blushed when he lifted her fingers to his mouth, kissing them tenderly.

"I just want to kiss you..." he whispered, moving her hands from his lips to his neck. They automatically started pulling him closer, as he braced his arms on either side of her head. 'I just want to kiss her, I want to know what I'll be missing out on... Is she actually accepting me? Who the hell cares, she's here and I'm here, and that's all that matters...' Ren thought as he lowered himself down slowly on her.

Pirika's blush was long gone as she thought, 'He wants to kiss me? Does that mean... No, it couldn't. But why did I have to fall in love with such a damn good liar!... But he looks sincere... And I want to kiss him too...' She continued to pull him downwards, despite the warnings that her mind screamed at her. Just as their lips were about to meet there was a loud beep, signaling that the door was open.

As infuriated as Ren was at the distraction, he really wanted to kiss her. He would have succeeded to, if Pirika did not turn her head at the last moment to look at their visitor. As a gasp came from Pirika's mouth, a groan of disappointment flew from Ren's as he buried himself in her hair and desperately tried not to cry.

"I can see that I've interrupted something... I'll just..." Ren froze when he heard Jun's voice. He reluctantly looked away from his prize and towards his sister, the person who had interrupted his kiss. He found himself blushing a beet red, Pirika was doing the same underneath him. It was then that Ren realized their suggestive position. He refused to make eye contact with Pirika as he rolled off of her, then got up and brushed himself off.

He reached down and helped Pirika up, trying to be casual. "Arigatou (thank you), Ren..." He weakly nodded as he walked over to Jun, "No, it's okay. You weren't interrupting, what do you want?" Jun was furiously blushing, she could see right through her Ottouto (little brother), she had walked in on something big. "I need to talk with you." Ren nodded and walked out of the room, Jun followed.

They walked a distance away from Pirika's hearing range when Jun turned to Ren. She looked embarrassed as she said, "Gomen nasai (I'm very sorry) if I interrupted you, but you needed to hear the news. You said you didn't love Pirika, so I assumed that nothing would be going on... You weren't going to-"

"No! Nothing was going on, it was irrelevant. And I _don't_ love her, she's my best friend!" Jun grinned and took hold of her chance to tease her brother, "Ren, you were going to kiss her. She had her arms around your neck! Something was going on, and I want to know what."

Ren sighed at his sister's straightforwardness (AN: Is that even a word?), and put his hands in his pockets. "I put her arms there, I just wanted to kiss her, it's not like it's serious or anything..." He winced at his sister's squeal of delight, then she grabbed his shoulders and peered into his eyes.

"You weren't forcing yourself on her, were you? I want the truth, Ren." she said, the happiness in her voice completely evaporated. Ren's eyes widened and he blushed, trying to tear himself from his sister's iron grip. "No! Now let go of me, I only wanted to kiss her!" Jun seemed satisfied with her brother's answer and went back to being happy.

"That's good, Ren, if you wanted to kiss her then you obviously feel something for her!" Her rants went on for a few more minutes, Ren rolling his eyes at her enthusiasm. "What's the news you had for me?" he interrupted her. Jun stopped ranting and her face paled a little, "Umm... Well, I talked to mother and father, and father says that he wants to talk to you..." Ren growled out, "Of course he wants to talk about it! Why the hell can't he just call it off!"

"Hethinksgettingmarriedisgoodforyouandhe'scomingtotheresorttotalkwithyouandseePirikaagain!" Ren narrowed his eyes, "Say that again..."

"Well, he thinks that getting married is good for you and he wants to see Pirika again, he's always had a soft spot for her, so he's decided to come to the resort." Jun prepared herself for the onslaught that she thought Ren would throw at her. She looked sideways at her brother, who was rapping his head against the wall.

She rushed over to Ren and pulled him away from the wall. "Stop it, Ren! There's a way around this!" Ren grimly smiled, "And what might that be? The way I see it, there's no way out of this but causing myself so much pain that I'm sent to the hospital."

Jun grabbed him before he could go back to the wall, "I told father that you were not in love with Pirika, if he comes and sees that, then he'll cancel your engagement." Ren looked up at Jun, hope in his eyes. "He said that?"

Jun bit her lip, "No, but Mother is coming. She always manages to convince him to do things he doesn't want to. So all you have to really do is convince Mother!" Ren sighed as he leaned back against the wall. He slid down to the floor and muttered, "Let's hope that you're right... For Pirika's sake if nothing else."

Jun would have said something, but was interrupted when Eric came running up. "Mistress Jun, there is something we need to discuss. It involves the-" he was cut off when he noticed the sulking Ren. A large grin appeared on his face when he recognized the Chinese shaman.

"Could we speak privately?" Jun nodded and turned to her little brother, "Ren, Father wont be here for a week, an important business trip has come up. Why don't you and Pirika go have some fun? Not too much fun though." She grinned when Ren blushed, "It's not like that!" Jun shook her head, "Just go unpack your things and go to the arcade with Yoh and the others, enjoy your stay here! It was kind of the whole point I built the resort, you know, to let others have fun. See you."

She leaned down and kissed Ren's forehead, much to his embarrassment. "Don't do that!" he yelled, vigorously rubbing his forehead with his sleeve. Jun giggle at his antics, "Gomen (sorry), I just couldn't resist, your just such a handsome young man. Pirika's a very lucky woman." She laughed when Ren turned an interesting shade of pink. Ren glared at his sister as she and Eric walked to the elevator.

He got up and walked back to room forty-four A, stopping in front of the door and smiling. 'I think you're wrong Jun... I think I'm the lucky one, lucky to have her even in just the way I do now...' He inserted his key card and walked in at the green signal. No one came to greet him at the loud beeping noise, the azure haired Ainu girl was nowhere in sight.

All of their things had been put away into the drawers that were provided by the management. He frowned, she did this all by herself, he was too busy to help her. A post-it note was stuck to the TV screen. Ren grabbed it and read the elegantly written words;

'Dear Ren,

I put away all of our things, your stuff's in the left section on the drawers. I put your laptop on the table, your spear is in the closet. You were out there talking with Jun for a while, mind if I ask what about? Never mind... about earlier... are you feeling okay? I'm in the shower right now, so stay out of the bathroom for a bit!

Thanks,

Pirika'

He crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash can. He went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was chock full of different kinds of foods from Ren and Pirika's different nationalities. He closed the refrigerator and opened the freezer. He jumped back at what he saw.

Piled among the different frozen foods, was a cake. It was chocolate with white frosting and had 'Happy Engagement' scrawled in light blue icing on the top. "Shit!" Ren whispered, taking out the cake and setting it on the counter. He got out a black plastic bag and shoved the cake into it's depths. Like he needed to remember (AN: Take note of the sarcasm!)...

He then deposited the bag in the trash can that was under the kitchen sink. He took a good look through the rest of the room, looking for any more surprises. He found a few stand up notes that said various forms of 'Happy Engagement', even a couple numbers for different wedding planners. Exasperatedly, Ren shoved the things into the black bag.

He heard something through the living room wall as he researched the room for any unpleasant reminders. It was a girl ordering around a guy, the guy seemed to be apologizing profusely. Ren grinned and walked out of the apartment, toward forty-four B. He knocked gingerly on the door, fearing that one of the people behind the door might not appreciate his intrusion.

"Yoh, get the door."

"Hai (yes), Anna." Yoh went to the door and opened it to a smirking Tao Ren. "Hi, Ren!" Yoh smiled at Ren. Ren still smirked, "You're the Shaman King, Yoh. Does she really still push you around?" Yoh rubbed the back of his neck and grinned at the purple haired shaman, "Yeah, but she's gonna be the Shaman _Queen_. How did you know that this was our room?"

"I heard you through the wall, my room number is forty-four A." Yoh grinned slyly at Ren. "Why does everyone keep doing that?" Ren yelled at him, quite frustrated. "Because it's fun to tease you! And don't you mean 'Pirika and I share room forty-four A'?" Ren blushed and glared at Yoh, "So what if I didn't specify?"

"Hello, Ren." Ren was startled when Anna appeared next to her fiancé. He took a step back, just in case she chose to slap him for his disruption. She had a mean slap. "Come on in." She pulled Yoh back into the room, Ren followed uncertainly. Their room looked about the same as Pirika and his own room. With one difference, their fridge probably only contained Japanese food. And they probably didn't mind the cake...

"How did you know our room number, Ren?" Anna calmly asked the nervous shaman. "I heard you through the wall, I was in room forty-four A." Anna nodded at his satisfactory answer, "Who were you visiting?" This question confused Ren, "What do you mean? That's the room Pirika and I were given."

The itako's eyes widened and she stared at Ren incredulously. She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. So she sat there for three minutes, staring at Ren. At least until Yoh got worried and tapped her shoulder, "Are you okay, Anna?"

She snapped out of her stupor and her gaze hardened until she was glaring at Ren. Who was slowly edging backwards, lest she strike him. "You two are engaged?" Yoh blinked at his friend and fiancé, feeling like he was missing a piece of the puzzle (AN: Yoh can be dense at times. Ne?)

Yoh still looked between his friend and fiancé, looking very lost indeed as Ren took a big step backwards. "Well, you have to swear not to mention this to anyone or I'll burn out your pupils with a hot stick."

"Whatever." Yoh said, this comment was coupled with a glare from his fiancé. When Ren blushed it was real, this was sacred information that had been confined to the darkest parts of secretdom (AN: Again, is that even a word?), should he really trust the Shaman King and Queen with it?

"Pirika and I have known each other for eleven years, since I was six. When we were young we were meant to wed by twenty-one, like you two. It didn't work out, so the engagement got cancelled a year after the tournament..." Anna blinked and said in an I-get-it-now tone, "That's why you and Pirika weren't able to have a civil conversation the entire time you stayed with us."

"It also explains why Horohoro always fought with you over pointless things."

"Well, Horohoro hasn't always hated me..."

"What do you mean?" asked Anna. Yoh scratched his head in confusion (AN: And you thought he got it by now...). "We used to be best friends, until... I went back to China. Heh, then he kind of blamed me for making his sister cry when I was forced to leave by my father."

"So... You two have been engaged longer than Anna and I?" Ren blushed harder and said "Yeah, we have..." Anna's glare subsided, "Fine, now that you have answered my questions you may leave." Ren glared at her, only to receive one back. "I could've left before... I just didn't feel like it." with that he left the room.

As he made his way back into the room, he noticed that the bathroom door was open. Ren looked around for Pirika, but no azure caught his eye. Ren simply shrugged it off and walked over to the table. He sat down and opened his laptop, enjoying the small pleasures that had been bestowed upon him by the value of money.

He got online and looked for the resort's homepage. He found it and clicked on a link that would take him to a list of the different things that the resort had listed as activities. Some that caught his eye were: Indoor Pool, Arcade, Gym, and, of course, Snowboarding/Skiing on Spirit Mountain.

Then he remembered the areas that he had been given access to by the unlucky man who had been at the check-out/check-in desk. He looked until he found the link, when he clicked it brought him to a short list that included: Spa, Mountain Climbing, Bar (AN: Don't worry, no underage people are allowed, I just wanted to mention it for the older guests.), and a Theatre.

"Not bad, not bad at all... Jun's overdone herself this time." he said as he looked at the list of activities again. He was distracted from his viewing by a sigh that came through the open doors of the balcony. He didn't even bother to shut down his laptop as he lost control of his body, which pulled him out onto the balcony.

'What the hell? There's no one out here...' he observed as he scanned the full length of the balcony, not having the time to fully appreciate it's majesty earlier. He heard a humming from above and looked up at the ladder that was attached to the wall. He looked warily above as he clutched the prongs on the infernal contraption.

It was a short climb to the roof top of the resort, but Ren took his time to secure a firm grip on each prong as he made his way upward. Never once did he look down, for vertigo is not a good thing to have at such a high altitude. He exhaled a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, relief finally allowing him to take control of his senses as he climbed onto the rooftop.

He gasped for air and resisted the urge to kiss the gravely surface of the ceiling that capped rooms forty-four A through forty-six C. Looking up at the humming noise his jaw dropped. For there, in the orange glow of the setting sun, sat a beautiful maiden whom he would love to rush to, just to lift her into his arms to hold her. Pirika, a child of Heaven itself, was humming a foreign tune. And Ren, the spawn of Hell's own Lucifer, was captivated, realizing his love for the angel for the fourth time...  
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Thanks for all the reviews! Two chapters and I already have nine reviews, wow!

Anyway, I have a character all set up for Pirika's old friend (Thanks, DayDrEaMiNg-child), so if you still want to contribute ideas, that's fine, I'll mix them all together somehow! Appreciate it! You will be given credit!

Now, if you choose to recall, Ren had admitted to himself he loved Pirika in the elevator, but what about the first two times? If any of you are still reading out there, I apologize for everyone's OOCness. Sincerely I do.

Next chapter focuses on a flashback, the first time Ren realized he loved Pirika. In the flashback Ren is six years old, Pirika is five. And as an explanation for the ages, love knows no boundaries. Stay tuned for my next chapter; Playing With the Butterflies. Confused? Good, stay that way.


	4. Playing With The Butterflies

A Very Good Liar  
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Disclaimer: As much as I wish it so, Shaman King will never be mine. God knows the havoc I'd unleash. This fic revolves around RenPirika, though there are hints of YohAnna and HorohoroTamao.  
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Chapter Four  
Playing With the Butterflies  
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As Pirika's tune ended she sighed and looked at the sunset. Ren watched, astonished, from behind her. She finally realized that she had an audience. She whirled around and blushed when she found that it was Ren. She took advantage of his stunned silence to observe what had happened to his figure since he was fourteen.

His often cold eyes were softened as he gazed upon her. As she avoided looking at his eyes she noticed that he had, indeed, grown taller than her, giving him at least three inches of advantage. His tongari (AN: The pointy spike of hair on top of his head.) was still intact.

He was much more masculine than he used to be, and as he slowly regained his self control, a smirk replaced his open jaw. A smirk that had not changed since they were little. But somewhere deep inside, Pirika was disappointed. The friendly smile had been worked off of his face by his father's harsh trainings. She dreamed of the day that smile would return, though her fantasy, she knew, was in vain.

"What are you doing up here?" he asked. Pirika blushed and looked at the picture that the sky was painted into. Blasts of orange reflected in her eyes as Ren's smirk faded with her words, "I was remembering about before..."

"Oh... Back when..." he faltered, hesitating to finish his statement. Pirika did it for him, "When we were children and playing with the butterflies." She sighed a third time and Ren quietly chuckled, "Yeah, I miss those days. When I was actually allowed to have fun... When we were..."

He halted and looked away from his angel. She looked at the pebbly surface of the rooftop as she said, "When we were engaged..."  
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Flashback, Ren - Six years old, Pirika - Five years old, Jun - Nine years old, Horhoro - Six years old  
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A little girl with azure hair walked through her garden of Butterbur. It was small, but so was she. Someday, when she was older, she would have fields of the precious plants to tend to, 'Like So bo (grandmother) and Onii-chan.' She fondly smiled as her hand gently brushed one of the plants. Her hair gleamed in the sun as she moved further down the dirt path.

She laughed softly as a butterfly flew down, its wings softly kissing her cheeks. It flapped its wings after a few moments, and the young girl laughed as it flew from her nose into the air and farther down the path towards her house. The five year old's ocean blue eyes danced as she chased the orange beauty. She laughed again and waved at it when it flew heavenward, towards the few clouds that littered the sky.

"What are you doing, Pirika?" a voice sounded behind her. She turned around and smiled when she saw her yellow eyed friend. The boy smiled back and waited expectantly for her answer. He walked closer, his shoes scuffing the dirt with his heavy footfalls.

"Hi, Ren! I was chasing a butterfly, but she flew up too high. I was waving goodbye." Ren looked up at the sky and pointed at another butterfly. "It looks like this one wants to play too."

His eyes went wide when the yellow insect landed on his nose. Pirika laughed at the scene, though she stifled her giggles with her hand when Ren glared at her. His glare softened and he smiled at the bold creature perched upon his nose. Then he sneezed, scaring the poor butterfly off its perch.

Pirika broke into a fit of giggles once again as her friend quickly picked himself off of the ground, having been knocked there by his powerful sneeze. Her laughter ceased, however, when the yellow insect landed on her own nose. She smiled as Ren laughed at her. He knew very well what this meant, but her face was so gentle and welcoming to the imposing butterfly, that he tended to lose his sense of reason for a few seconds.

Both of the children watched the yellow butterfly join the orange one in the blissful, sunny sky. Pirika laughed, making Ren look warily at her through the corner of his eye. "What?"

He knew what the answer was, but just wanted to hear her laugh again. When she did he prepared himself to run, though he waited for her to walk nearer with her explanation. "My Grandma tells me that when a butterfly flies from a boy to a girl that they're supposed to be sharing a kiss..."

Ren blushed as Pirika crept closer to him, jumping back, slightly afraid of the younger girl. He ran towards the house and laughed as he heard her tear after him. Pirika laughed as well, continuing her pursuit even though Ren was much faster than she. He noticed this and lagged slightly, allowing her to come slightly closer. He didn't slow very much, though, he didn't want to be caught.

Pirika laughed and persistently snatched at his shirt, though he managed to escape her grasp every time. Ren silently prayed for any source of reprieve, he sighed with relief when he found himself in front of her house. There was a surprised gasp as the pair plowed their way into the kitchen, barely missing Tao Jun, Ren's older sister.

"Otoutto (little brother)! Stop running in the house!" Jun sternly shouted at Ren, causing him to stop right in front of her. Then a flash of azure came running through the open doorway. Not noticing that Ren had stopped, Pirika tackled him, causing both children to fall to the floor in an entanglement of limbs.

Rens face had been firmly stamped into the hardwood floor, but managed to muffle nonetheless, "Geff off!" Pirika had a hard time understanding him, but seemed to have gotten the gist of it, because she quickly got off of his back and began to help him up.

"Oww... Watch where you're going, Pirika!" Ren said as he rubbed the small of his back. Pirika countered back, "Well, it's not that easy to tell when somebody stops while you're running so fast!" The arguing children were interrupted when Pirika's grandmother walked into the kitchen saying quietly, "Now what's all of this commotion about? Why should the best of friends be arguing?"

Ren decided to answer her query first, "Pirika was chasing me, so I ran into the house, but Ona-chan (older sister) told me to stop running. When I did Pirika tackled me!" Fake tears were running down his face, causing Pirika to glare at him and whisper, "Faker..."

Ren suddenly became very interested in a spot on the ceiling as he tried to look innocent. Pirika looked at her grandmother (AN: Whom I shall call Seiko!), and said indignantly, "He shouldn't have been running anyway! We were playing with the butterflies and one landed on his nose and then on mine and he ran away!"

The two children glared at each other, but were soon enveloped in confusion as Seiko and Jun burst out laughing. Even though they didn't know what was going on, Ren and Pirika soon laughed with them. If the grown-ups were laughing then everything had to be okay, and it looked like neither child was in trouble either.

"I remember when Horohoro and that pink-haired relative of the Asakuras were playing with the butterflies. And he had the same reaction you did, Ren. Maybe you should ask him for tips on hiding, seeming as he's been doing that for sometime while running from Pirika." Ren smiled and nodded, " Okay, So bo (grandmother)." Seiko smiled warmly at the tiger-eyed boy, "You won't find him now, though. He heard Pirika coming inside."

Pirika looked pleadingly at Seiko, "Where did he hide, So bo?" The kind, old woman chuckled and whispered, "I think he's in his room under the bed today, don't scare him too badly." Pirika grinned and ran off down the hall. Ren started to follow her, but was stopped by Seiko's hand on his shoulder, "Your father wishes to see you in the living room, Ren. Your mother is there too."

Ren nodded bravely, and walked to the living room. He was afraid of his father at this age, but Seiko knew that one day Ren would be rebellious to his father's discriminatory ways, and rule the Tao clan properly. Not that Tao En was completely horrible, he had given much to the Ainu family, and, even though he tried to hide it, was very gentle with and fond of Pirika. Certainly the man who had these two wonderful children couldn't be all bad. And Ran was very kind-hearted and loving, surely if she loved Tao En he wasn't as evil as Ren thought him.

Ren kept his eyes glaring at the floor, glancing up at En's critical stare every second or so. He stopped in the middle of the room, out of his father's reach. The large man smirked slightly, "Sit down, Ren. I-" Ran elbowed her husband in the side and sternly sent him a reprimanding look. En cleared his throat as Seiko and Jun also entered the room, "As I was saying, _we_ have something important to tell you." Ren did as he was told, but glanced at Jun, who was smiling brightly at him.

Tao En crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, gruffly saying, "After much consideration, Seiko, your mother, and I have decided that you shall, when you turn twenty-one, marry Pirika, so as the Tao clan receives a new heir. As of now the two of you are engaged." Ren raised an eyebrow at his ominous father, not quite understanding his words, but turned at a small gasp from the doorway.

Pirika stood with a hand to her mouth, a smile hidden behind her palm. Her eyes shone with amusement when Ren carefully said, "What? What's he mean, Pirika?" Suspicion soon entered the young Tao's tiger-like eyes as Pirika walked slowly closer to him. She giggled slightly, a small grin showing plainly on her face.

"It means that when we are older, Ren-kun (this suffix is used to confer familiarity or endearment, usually placed on the end of a boy's name), we'll get married!" Crimson quickly spread across Ren's face, and Pirika suddenly throwing her arms around his neck in a vice-like hug wasn't helping him to retain his dignity.

Ren glared at the laughing adults and his sister, but his crossness soon evaporated as Pirika whispered, "Isn't that nice, Ren-kun?" His arms hesitantly wove their way around her. "Yeah," he whispered back, "That's great, Pirika-chan (this suffix is used to express endearment, mostly used towards girls)...That's great... Then we can be together for the rest of our lives..." Ren glanced up to see his father looking fondly at Ran, this was probably much like how he and his wife had gotten married.

Seiko and Jun smiled at the two children, and soon joined En and Ran in the kitchen to discuss the finer terms of the engagement. Ren and Pirika separated, both now only slightly pink. Pirika started to run outside through the back door, yelling back at the bewildered boy, "I think Onii-Chan went outside!" Ren shook his head and chased after her, giving a laugh as he saw Horohoro tear out of a bush and down a path to the mori (forest).  
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Present Time  
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Ren chuckled quietly, "Horohoro never forgave me for always chasing him with you. He'd always say that I was the same gender and age as he was so I should be on his side." Pirika smiled brightly, "Yeah, then I'd walk around the corner and he'd run off... Speaking of Onii-chan, we should probably get going to meet them at the arcade. Do you think that Yoh and Anna will be there?"

Ren shrugged, "Probably, their room is right next to ours, I saw them earlier." Pirika smirked, "You faced your fear and climbed the ladder just to come and see me? How sweet!" Ren glared darkly at her, but soon his eyes widened when she stood up and moved closer to him. "Thanks, Ren-kun."

Ren stiffened when Pirika quickly, and lightly kissed his lips. She then giggled at the shocked look that played across his face. Ren moved his hand to his lips, but snapped back to reality when Pirika called over to him, "Hurry up, Ren! They won't wait forever!"

The Chinese shaman growled irately, then walked towards the edge. He frowned when he looked over the ledge, but turned a deathly glare upon his Ainu princess when she laughed at his hesitation. Pirika stifled her laughter, but smirked at the Tao. "What?" Ren growled out, his shocking yellow eyes flashing with surprise at her smirk. A facial expression that she had no doubt learned from him.

Pirika only smirked more devilishly, "Oh, nothing. Do you want me to go first so I can catch you if you happen to slip?" It was more of a mocking statement than a question. Ren glared at her, then carefully swung himself over the ledge, firmly gripping the prongs of the ladder.

"No," Ren muttered, looking at the wall, "I think I'd rather catch you..." Pirika smiled warmly, "Glad you think that, Ren-kun." The unlikely pair found their gazes locked again, ocean blue met tiger gold. They were lost in each other's eyes in silence, which was broken by a shrill beeping noise.

Pirika looked at her watch, and Ren tore his gaze from her. "Ren," she said, "We'd better hurry. I set that watch so that I wouldn't spend too long up here watching the sunset." Ren smiled sadly at the wall and thought, _'Like you used to do with me...'  
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Flashback, Ren - Thirteen years old, Pirika - Twelve years old  
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Pirika sat on the roof of the En Inn, the place that she and her brother were staying at during the Shaman Tournament. She sighed as she waited for sunset. A small disturbance on the grass below caught her attention, and she became keenly aware of her surroundings. Also of the fact that she was being watched.

"Who's there?" Pirika called out into the semi-darkness, trying to peer over the edge of the roof. A pair of tiger-like eyes that had, so many times before, locked with hers. Ren smirked, "I thought you could use some company."

The Ainu glared down at him, "You thought wrong, Tao." Her remark only caused the shaman to chuckle slightly, right before he jumped up onto the roofing tile beside her. "We're engaged, Pirika, when did you start calling me Tao?"

"As soon as you left, six years ago." Ren sighed and sat cross-legged beside her, hurt flashing for a moment in his eyes. Pirika moved away slightly, crossing her arms over her chest and focusing on a distant tree.

"My father forced me to go back to China so that I could commence with my shaman training. You have to forgive me sometime, Pirika." he said almost pleadingly. When he received no response, he continued, "So, this is how you greet your fiancé... I can live with arguments, but not silence, Pirika. Just talk to me. I've been back for months now so there's nothing to worry about anymore, right?"

Pirika chose to look at him just then, but instead of a forgiving smile, he received a forbidding glare that could match his own. "You didn't even say goodbye, Ren. How could I forgive you for something like that?" Ren sadly smiled as the sun sank farther into the sky, turning the air a glowing crimson.

"I suppose you're right. I had hoped that my letter could have solved everything, but... Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you threw it away unopened." Ren buried his head in has hands in frustration and self-loathing "I don't think that I forgave myself for not standing up to my father. I... I would have given up my chance at being the Shaman King if father would've just let me stay with you..."

When Ren raised his head to look at Pirika's reaction, his sad gaze surprised her. He looked away and stood up, "Well... The point is I didn't. I just want you to know that... that I apologize for allowing my father to drag me away from the life that I loved... You said earlier that you wished to be alone, so..."

As he prepared to jump off the roof a light hand touched his shoulder, stopping him. Pirika had tears welling in her eyes as she whispered, "All I wanted was an apology, not an explanation... I did read your letter... And I forgave you the moment you stepped onto this roof."

The long-missed friendly smile that was showed to her was all she needed to pull him into a tight embrace. And he gladly returned it, swiftly kissing her cheek several times, and pulling her close. When they parted, they sat close, and watched the sky turn tangerine.

As Ren watched the streaks of orange, crimson, and fuscia slowly fade, he found himself paying more attention to the beauty beside him than the sky. He realized that he had fallen hopelessly in love with the Ainu girl yet again.

Pirika knew, as she watched the night sky appear, that she was, and always had been, in love with the arrogant Chinese shaman. She couldn't help falling for her Onii-chan's enemy in the Shaman Tournament, he was the most romantic person whom she'd ever actually met.  
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Present Time  
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Pirika broke Ren's thoughts as she laughed down at him, "Ren, if you don't get over your fear of heights soon, Onii-chan will be looking for us under the suspicion of hanky-panky." She laughed harder when Ren blushed.

"Don't rush me... It's not like he didn't suspect anything when you so quickly escorted him from our room." Pirika quieted and glared down at him, the grinned, "Would you like to use the stairs that lead down to the lobby?"

Ren stared incredulously at Pirika, then hissed out, "There are stairs!" Pirika giggled and pointed over to the other corner of the roof, "It'll take longer, but if you're _scared_ then I guess we could take the stairs." She received a hard glare from him, "Tao's do _not_ get _scared_!" Then he continued his gripping climb down the ladder.

When Pirika reached the last prong, Ren reached his hand out to help her. After a lingering clasp, they parted and made their way to the elevator. Just as Ren was pushing the 'down' button the steel doors opened to reveal a teenager with navy blue hair that was spiked similarly to Horohoro's, only shorter. He wore a red hoody with baggy blue jeans, his steel-grey eyes smiled as he grinned at Ren and Pirika.

Pirika was smiling brightly at the seventeen year old boy, but Ren was glaring daggers at him "Yukihiro..." he hissed, only to receive a grin back, "Ah, Ren-san! Protecting Pirika-chan as usual, I see." They might have conversed more, had not the overjoyed Pirika hugged the boy in a vice-like grip, "Kotaro-kun! It's been so long! Oh, I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Pirika-chan. I'm glad to see that Ren's been taking good care of you." The boy, now known as Kotaro Yukihiro, said as he hugged his long-time friend back.  
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Hey, that was short compared to the previous chapters... Oh well, at least I updated!

Thanks to DayDrEaMiNg-child, we now have another rival for Ren! Oh, what perils shall this couple endure as I continue the story? If you want to find out then review!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!


	5. The Black Rose Rivalry

A Very Good Liar  
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Disclaimer: As much as I wish it so, Shaman King will never be mine. God knows the havoc I'd unleash. This fic revolves around RenPirika, though there are hints of YohAnna and HorohoroTamao.  
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Chapter Five  
The Black Rose Rivalry  
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Kotaro laughed as he released Pirika from his embrace, "Horohoro sent me to fetch you and the 'insolent Tao'. He was muttering something about 'uncaring sisters' and 'shaman no hentai'. Now, you wouldn't happen to know where they went, would you?"

Ren coldly glared at him, saying with more than a hint of malice, "I wouldn't dwell too long on that thought if I were you. It might lead you to harm." Kotaro only grinned at the Chinese shaman, but Pirika sternly gazed at him until he turned to face the wall.

Then she turned to Kotaro and was rainbows and sunshine (AN: When isn't she?) as she asked, "If you're here, then who did you come with?" The steel-eyed shaman grimaced slightly, and then brightened, "Yuna. I would think that you should remember her."

Then he chuckled lowly, "She bullied me into taking her. Her threats have been more graphic of late; I think all of those times spent with Ren have finally taken their toll... And I seem to be the one paying the price."

Pirika looked pensive for a moment, her lips pursed together in a thin line and her eyebrows furrowed, causing both of her friends to raise an eyebrow at her. Soon, though, she seemed to find a happy place, because she flashed a bright smile at Kotaro, saying, "It's nice of you to let Akira-san come with you to the resort. Don't you think so, Ren?" The said boy merely shrugged nonchalantly and turned to Kotaro, missing Pirika's sigh of relief, and asked, "So, Yuna' s here? Why does that not surprise me?"

Kotaro nodded and replied, "Yeah, she seemed really excited about coming here. I thought she was just glad I took her, but she usually ignores me when we're in the same room." Pirika frowned when she heard this, but not because Yuna was breaking Kotaro's heart so much as that she had probably only come to see Ren.

Pirika was reminded of several negative memories that she harbored about Akira Yuna. The chocolate-eyed girl had long, silky, raven hair, and a rebellious attitude. What's more is that she seemed partial to dark colors, and had kept a close eye on both Ren and Pirika since she met the Ainu girl.

Yuna had met Kotaro and Pirika a year after Ren and Pirika had entered their engagement. After that, life became an occasional Hell for Pirika. Yuna was constantly quarrelling with the sky-haired girl over anything and everything, but most times it was about Ren.

Yuna was the only other girl, besides Pirika and Jun that Ren had ever acknowledged. Yuna always argued that Pirika was too young for Ren, also that Ren should wed someone who was of his nationality. '_I guess it doesn't help that she's Chinese like Ren...Always challenging me and treating me to verbal abuse whenever Ren wasn't around...I wish that Jun-san, Ran-san, and En-san had been there when she was...'  
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Flashback, Ren - Seven years old, Pirika - Six years old, Yuna - Seven years old, Horohoro - Seven years old  
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Pirika hugged Tao En around the leg, being too small to reach any higher, and looked up sadly at his surprised face. "Please don't go, Otou-san (father). You, Jun-san, and Okaa-san (mother) can stay with So-bo, Ren-kun, and I forever!" Ran smiled at the small girl, "We have to go home, Pirika-chan, but we will return for visits. There are other affairs we need to attend to in China."

The usually gruff Tao En let a small, gentle smile appear on his face for Pirika as he carefully, and easily, lifted her to his eye level. His voice was strangely soft and soothing as he hugged her to his chest, whispering in her ear, "My chibi tenshi (small angel), we will come back one day to take both you and Ren home to our mansion in Hong Kong, So-bo will be traveling with us as well...But for now, I need you to keep an eye on Ren, and to help him choose wrong from right...He'll need some help with that...Aishiteru (I love you), chibi tenshi..."

His last sentence was said more quietly than the rest, and the young girl he was holding could see salty tears welling in his golden eyes. Pirika wiped them away, along with her own. Giving the large man a kiss on the cheek, she whispered, "Aishiteru yo (I love you too), Otou-san...I'll help Ren-kun, I promise..." En set her down on the tiled floor of the airport, kneeling so he could kiss her forehead.

When her husband stood, Ran too hugged Pirika, also kissing her forehead. Much to Ren's surprise, his Okaa-san embraced him tightly. After awhile, Ren quit struggling and lightly wrapped his arms around her.

Jun sobbingly hugged Pirika, and glanced sternly at Ren, "If he's ever mean to you, call me. I'll sort him out. In fact, call me anytime, it'd be great to have a conversation with my immouto (little sister) every once in a while." Then she embraced Ren, who fought in vain, for his older sister clutched him tightly. "I'll be back soon, Otouto (younger brother). Be nice to your betrothed."

Ren's cheeks glowed pink, but he nodded silently, returning her embrace slightly before letting go. Jun grinned at her Otouto, then turned to Pirika again, only to be hugged around her waist by the younger girl. Jun's eyes became misty as she hugged Pirika back, letting go after awhile. Seiko stood nearby, and was embraced by the now crying, emerald-haired girl.

Ran and En smiled at each other and looked toward Pirika and their son. Ran reached out and hugged the both of them. En merely nodded at Ren, but when Pirika grabbed his large hand, he patted her head fondly and smiled down at her.

After their tearful goodbyes, the Taos, exempt of Ren, headed outside to their large, expensive, silver, private jet that would fly them back to the Tao mansion in Hong Kong, China. Horohoro suddenly came running up to Ren, Pirika, and Seiko, looking quite out of breath. He panted a few times and then asked, "Oh man, did they leave already? Damn! Er...I mean, darn!" he added hastily when Seiko reached out to grab his ear so she might drag him away.

"First the long line in the bathroom, and now an ear-pulling from So-bo! What next? Let go, So-bo! That hurts! My ear's about to fall off!" Horohoro's yells caused many heads to turn in their direction, but Ren's golden stare caused them to mind their own business.

Just as Ren pushed open the door to the entrance/exit of the airport, a blur of a figure barreled into him, knocking the fierce-eyed boy to the floor. Ren pushed the raven-haired nuisance off of his legs, and got up with a grunt, offering a hand to the girl who had knocked him over.

"Are you late for your flight or something?" he asked, trying to get a good look at the now frowning girl. His eyes widened and he froze when she looked up at him, her chocolate eyes flashing dangerously as she stood up, blatantly refusing the Chinese boy's hand.

"Tao Ren, I should have known you'd forget about me if I left you by yourself!"

"But-"

"Don't you 'but' me! You left me in China on purpose! Jun-san had to tell me that you already left, and that your flight wasn't delayed!" As the black-clad girl berated him, the purple-haired boy slowly backed away toward the exit.

"My flight was delayed, just not as long as I thought!" Ren exclaimed, raising his hands in his defense, "I guessed how long I'd be waiting! I tried to call you, but your cell-phone was off!"

"You great fibber! My phone was on the entire time you 'tried to call me'! Jun-san said-"

"Wait a second!" shouted Pirika, interrupting the argumentative pair. The raven-haired girl was cheerful as she turned to Pirika, bowing to her in traditional Chinese form, then holding her hand out as greeting, "Ohayo (good morning), I'm Akira Yuna! Who are you?"

Pirika glanced warily at Yuna's outstretched hand, only to have her own enveloped by it in a firm handshake as Yuna laughed, "I've been visiting America and trying to learn their customs, this is how Americans greet each other."

Pirika smiled when Yuna released her hand, "I'm Pirika of the Ainu. This is my Onii-chan (older brother) and a future Ainu warrior, Horohoro, and our So-bo, Seiko, an elder of our culture. It looks like you've already met Ren. Can I ask where?"

Yuna grinned and turned to look at the shorter boy (AN: Yes, Ren was shorter than both girls when he was younger. Luckily, in this fic anyway, he hits a growth spurt later on!), who was trying to sneak out of the airport doors. She grabbed Ren in a headlock and proceeded to vigorously ruffle his dark-purple hair, much to his dismay.

"Oh, Renny-kun and I go way back! When we were infants, our mother's lived in the same mansion, so we were around each other since before we could walk! You would've met me sooner if Ren hadn't left me in Hong Kong!"

Pirika stared at the seemingly innocent girl that clutched Ren tightly, never faltering in her grip, even when the boy struggled to escape her grasp. "Ren's never mentioned you before." Pirika stated bluntly, causing Ren to go wide-eyed and start gesturing his hands furiously for Pirika to keep quiet.

"Oh, he hasn't, has he?" Yuna enquired, glaring down at her prisoner, who, in turn, was glaring at Pirika for revealing this information in the first place.

In a sudden burst of desperation, Ren pushed himself out of Yuna's headlock, and took of for the exit with Horohoro right behind him. "Oh dear," said Seiko, "I suppose I had better catch them. Who knows what sort of ruckus they could cause unsupervised." Seiko went outside, calling out to Horohoro and Ren pleadingly, leaving Pirika alone with her new acquaintance.

Pirika grimaced as she watched Seiko exit the airport, but smiled as she turned back to Yuna, "I apologize for Ren and Onii-chan, they can be quite rude at times, but they're usually very nice." The Ainu girl ceased smiling when she saw Yuna's frown, "Is anything wrong, Yuna-san?"

The chocolate-eyed girl glared coldly at Pirika, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "How old are you?" she asked, starting to circle the younger girl. "What?" Pirika asked, pulling her arm from Yuna, who had been poking it critically in various places.

"Just answer the question." Yuna said, moving on to the other arm. "I'm six years old...Would you please stop analyzing me?" Pirika replied, becoming startled when the elder girl stopped in front of her and laughed. "It's bad enough that you're not Chinese, or obscenely wealthy, but the head of the Tao Clan has betrothed his heir to a young weakling who has no guardian spirit. You're only six, maybe if you were older you would be more worthy of his presence. Where'd you learn such a complicated word as 'analyzing', anyway?"

"I want to be a psychologist when I'm older (AN: I bet you were wondering when I'd go further into that...), I have to study early if I want to do something with that dream...What do you mean 'worthy of his presence'? And I'm not weak!"

"Quit trying to grow up so fast, and find a boyfriend who's your age...Ren needs a fiancé who is his age, someone who has shamanic blood _and_ a guardian spirit." Yuna replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She began to walk toward the exit with her nose held high in the air, but turned around and added, "What's the matter? Are you going to cry like the weakling you are? You 'gonna run off and tell Tao En how mean I was to you?"

Yuna smirked as she looked at Pirika, who had tears welling in her eyes. "Huh...Tao En came to Patch Village to buy the land off of the village elder, in other words, your So-bo...Instead of a deed, he brings back word of his newly betrothed son...What a baka..." With that said and done, Yuna walked out of the airport, leaving a tearful Pirika in her wake.

Ren passed by Yuna on his way back in to find Pirika...Quite technically she passed by him, for he had hidden behind one of the fake, decorative plants that the airport staff had set up. He saw Pirika holding back tears right were he'd left her, and his eyes softened.

"Are you okay, Pirika-chan? Who do I need to beat up to make you smile again?" Ren asked, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, his piercing eyes looking into her own, searching for the source of her pain. _'Should I tell Ren about Yuna?'_ Pirika pondered, but then she remembered what the Chinese girl had said, _'I am not weak! I'll show Akira Yuna how strong the Ainus of Patch Village can be, and I'll start by fighting my own battles!'_

Pirika smiled brightly at Ren, "I just miss Okaa-san, Otou-san, and Jun-san...I'll call them later, I suppose, just to say 'hi'." Ren glanced speculatively at her as they walked out of the airport doors, but, after awhile, accepted her tale. When they joined Horohoro, Seiko, and Yuna outside, both girls smiled at each other, undetectably fake smiles that reassured Ren about Yuna's arrival...  
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Present Time  
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"Hey, You guys wouldn't know where Jun's office is, would you? It's been ages since I last saw her." Kotaro asked, walking back into the elevator, "Hurry up or Horohoro might have to come up and find our poor, lost group!"

"First Pirika, and now my sister..." Ren growled under his breath, which earned him an elbow in his ribs from a slightly blushing Pirika as she passed him to get in the elevator as well. Ren grumbled, but followed Pirika, pushing the button for the ground floor.

The ride down was filled with an awkward silence, which Ren had been grateful for, as he didn't want to talk with Kotaro very much. The elevator doors opened to reveal to the trio a certain raven-haired beauty called Akira Yuna. Ren looked emotionlessly at her, and Kotaro smiled with all of the warmth he possessed (AN: Which is more than a lot.), but Pirika just looked glaringly at the wall. Yuna looked over the ocean-eyed girl critically, but smiled as her gaze fell upon Kotaro and Ren.

"I see that Kotaro has found you," she turned to the said boy, "I was beginning to worry that you had gotten lost, Kotaro. What took you so long?" she asked with a small laugh. She laughed again when Kotaro blushed.

"We were just reacquainting ourselves. It's been four years since Pirika and Horohoro headed to Tokyo for the Shaman Tournament, and it's been even longer since I've seen Ren-san." Kotaro said hastily, putting a hand behind his neck sheepishly.

Yuna looked at Ren, who was trying to sneak out of the elevator, sharply. The Tao stopped dead in his tracks and stood in her line of vision, very much like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Soon, however, he was moving frantically, struggling to escape from her embrace as she hugged him tightly.

"Looks like you finally grew up, Ren-san! See, you're finally taller than Yuna-chan!" Kotaro said between laughs, receiving a glare from an angry Chinese shaman over the chocolate-eyed girl's shoulder. Then Ren's gaze beheld a mild wonderment as he looked at Pirika, who was glaring in his and Yuna's direction.

_'Is she jealous?'_ Ren asked himself silently, _'No, she's just angry because Yuna hasn't greeted her yet. They always seemed to get along...'_ Ren thought as he pried Yuna's arms off of his body and cleared his throat, "_Ahem_...Yuna, you seem to have missed Pirika with your...Erm, elaborate salutations. You haven't forgotten about her, have you?"

Yuna smiled falsely at the younger girl, "How could I forget? It's great to see you again, Pirika_-chan." _she said as she bowed and exchanged a handshake with Pirika, who, also, smiled falsely. "It's great to see you, too, Yuna_-chan_. It's been a long time." she said, all the while thinking, _'Too bad it couldn't have been longer...Domo arigatou, Ren, this is just what I needed, kind words from my romantic rival...I can't blame him though. After all he wasn't around Akira-san and I when we fought. When we weren't alone we acted like the best of friends...'_

Pirika walked out of the elevator with her painted smile still firmly in place upon her lips, calling to the trio behind her, "Let's go and prove to Onii-chan that there's no hanky-panky going on!" Kotaro and Yuna stared, gob smacked, at Pirika, who was getting farther away each second. Then they glanced at Ren, who had started after her with a scowl on his face.

Yuna nodded at Kotaro and moved up beside Pirika, while Kotaro strayed until he fell in pace with Ren. "Well?" the steel-eyed Ainu asked, looking at Ren expectantly.

"Well what?"

"What was Pirika talking about?" Ren growled loudly at the question, "That's none of your business, Yukihiro..."

"Ren-san, must you refer to me by surname only? We have known each other for years!"

"Unfortunately..." Ren groaned as he continued to ignore his talkative rival. _'Yukihiro will never change...'_ he thought, ferociously trying to banish his new headache, _'He'll always be a competitive baka with an eye for Pirika...An eye that I loathe with a fiery passion...'  
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Flashback, Ren - Seven years old, Pirika - Six years old, Yuna - Seven years old, Horohoro - Seven years old, Kotaro - Seven years old  
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Ren walked up the stairs to Pirika's room slowly, carefully holding her birthday present in his right hand. He stopped at the door when he heard voices, Ren crouched silently, and watched the scene play out through the crack in the doorway.

Pirika stood by the windowsill, looking down at the garden where Seiko was, and where Ren had been, until a minute ago. "Ren-kun and So-bo have been in the garden almost all day, and Ren told me that I couldn't come downstairs until he came up to get me, because he was getting my birthday present ready." she said, "Kotaro-kun, what do you have in your hand?"

The spiky-haired (AN: Aren't they _all_ spiky-haired!) boy smiled and held out a flawless, thorn less, white rose. "Happy Birthday, Pirika-chan!" he said, handing her the rose. Pirika gleefully accepted her gift, placing it in a clear vase filled with water, and other flowers, on her nightstand.

"Where did you find it, Kotaro-kun? It's so beautiful!" Kotaro laughed at his friend, "It was growing in the mori (forest) outside my home. I remembered that Ren and I both promised to get you the prettiest thing in Patch Village, and I saw that and I knew that it should belong to the prettiest girl in Patch-" Kotaro was cut off by a hug from Pirika, so he merely laughed and hugged her back.

This was when Ren chose to enter the room, his hands behind his back, hiding her present. He glared at Kotaro and cleared his throat, "Umm...Pirika-chan, I brought your present..." he trailed off as he showed her the gift, wincing when she gasped. "Ren-kun, what is it?" Pirika asked as she moved closer to accept her gift, she asked quietly, as if she were afraid that her words could break a thing so delicate.

"It's a black rose...So-bo and I have been working on it for a few months in the garden. She told me that black roses were the rarest and most beautiful flower that there is, so she taught me how to grow them," Ren replied, cautiously handing her the rose, "Careful though, it has thorns...So-bo told me that the thorns just make the rose more perfect, because you need imperfections to compliment even the most beautiful qualities...I couldn't find anything perfect to give you, because I couldn't give you yourself... So I guess that Kotaro won our contest..."

Pirika embraced Ren in a gentle hug, which he gladly returned. She placed Ren's rose next to Kotaro's in the vase, and said, to both boys, "I can't choose which present is prettiest, and you two should be ashamed of your competition! Arigatou...I love both of your gifts! Come on, let's go find Onii-chan and Yuna-chan to show them how wonderful you two are!"

Kotaro and Pirika darted out of the room, but Ren hesitated, looking sadly at Kotaro's rose. White meant purity, whereas black symbolized evil, a warm persona next to a cold exterior, a hard-hearted creation for a gentle-hearted girl. His thorn-studded rose, he thought, was almost an insult to his fiancé, _'A rarity that couldn't compare with her...'_ he decided silently.

Kotaro stuck his head in through the door (AN: Well, not actually _through_ the door...), "Hey, Pirika-chan wants your help to find Horohoro-san!" Ren turned to smirk at the navy-haired boy, "Tell her I'll be right down."

"And, Kotaro?" he added as the said boy began to leave, "I bet I can find him first!"

"Not before I do, Ren-san!" Kotaro said, dashing out of the room and down the stairs, Ren hot on his tail.  
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Present Time  
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_'No...Yukihiro will never grow up...'_ Ren thought, trying to ignore the boy next to him. Instead he focused on the sky-haired girl ahead of them, who was chatting idly with Yuna. Ren nonchalantly shrugged, and sped up to join them. Or he would have, had he not been tackled by a very obsessive Onii-chan of Pirika's.  
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And so ends another chapter of 'A Very Good Liar'...What did you think? Good? Bad? Do you abhor reading this fic! Tell me in a review, which, by the way, I'm shooting for a staggering amount of 41 before I update.

Not only does Ren have a rival, which I thank DayDrEaMiNg-child for, Pirika now has one! And what do my viewers think of Akira Yuna? She will be one of several bizarre, and humorous, twists throughout the story. And what about Yukihiro Kotaro?

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, which took me forever to type because my computer hates me, read, review, question my intentions...


	6. Please Stop Crying

A Very Good Liar

Disclaimer: As much as I wish it so, Shaman King will never be mine. God knows the havok I'd unleash. This fic revolves around RenPirika, though there are hints of YohAnna and HorohoroTamao.

I am terribly sorry that I have been excruciatingly late with the posting of this chapter! I meant to get it up shortly after chapter five, but writer's block and moving has kept me from fulfilling my wish. We moved a few months ago, and I haven't been able to get internet access from my computer, which has all of my data on it! Also, where we live now is boring, so it's hard to find creative inspiration to continue with my story.

No worries, though! I've found the inspiration I needed, and am moving on with the story as quickly and productively as I can! This chapter focuses quite a bit on HorohoroTamao and KotaroYuna.

I would also like to take this time to point out that flashbacks are usually in noone's POV, so I can cover alot in them. When a character leaves the scene, they're generally not a part of the flashback anymore!.I didn't know if that was confusing anyone, or not.  
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Chapter Six  
Please Stop Crying  
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Ren hit the floor, Horohoro crashing to the ground beside him. The purple haired shaman propped himself up on his elbows and glared dangerously at the ice shaman beside him, "What the _hell_ was that for, Asparagus-head!"

Horohoro quickly stood up and pointed an accusing finger at the Chinese shaman that was standing up as well, "That was for your little prank earlier, Tao! And don't call me Asparagus-head!" he yelled, brushing off his clothes. He frowned as Pirika hurried past him to check on Ren, "So you'll check on him, but you won't find out if your own flesh and blood is okay..." he mumbled under his breath.

"Oni-chan! How could you do that to Ren? You will appologise right now!" Horohoro gaped at his sister, "No, I will not! He deserved that!"

"Howso?"

"He knows what he did!"

"That's still no excuse for your behavior! Now, appologise!"

"Never!"

"Oni-chan!" The fueding siblings took no notice of their friends, who were standing nearby with amused looks adourning their faces, until Yuna walked up. Horohoro blushed and shushed his sister, going so far as to clap a hand over her mouth...which would soon be removed after Pirika sunk her teeth into it.

"Heh, Yuna, I see you found them! Thanks alot!" Horohoro exclaimed while shaking his victimised hand wildly in the air. "Not a problem, Horo-kun," at this Horohoro's face only grew in it's redness, and Kotaro glared at the Ainu, "Kotaro had already found them, anyway." Kotaro blushed when her smile became directed toward him, his glare quickly sliding off of his face and falling to the floor. He nodded modestly, and rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand.

Horohoro then cleared his throat, "Well, Yoh, Tamao, and Anna are waiting in the arcade, and they're probably wondering where we all are. Let's head off to play some games!" he pumped his fist in the air at his last sentence. Kotaro laughed, Yuna smiled, and all Ren did was smirk. The small band of shamans then began to walk down the hall.

As Yuna, Kotaro, and Ren engaged themselves in idle conversation, Horohoro pulled his younger sibling by the arm, a hand clapped over her mouth, into a different hallway. She had been about to bite his hand, again, when he removed it, motioning for her to be quiet.

After, he peeked around the corner to be sure that their friends had not notice their abscence. When he chanced a look back at his sister, he recieved a confused glare. "Onii-chan, why aren't we going to the arcade? If this is about Ren, then I don't want to-"

"No, it's not about Tao...it's about...Yuna..." Pirika's eyes narrowed, "What about Yuna?" Her brother sighed, "Well, I'm still not sure whether I really like Tamao-chan or not, and now _she's_ here-"

"Onii-chan, I thought you told me that the issue had been resolved a long time ago!" She glared when Horohoro sheepishly put a hand behind his neck, "Not exactly..."

"You mean you still have a crush on Yuna!" (AN: Bet you weren't expecting that!) The Ainu boy quickly clapped his hands onto the yelling girl's mouth, peeked around the corner of the hallway, and released her with a pleading look on his face, "Pirika...I don't know anymore...Tamao's sweet and she's an excellent cook, she's also really pretty, beautiful even..."

"Then I don't see what the problem is..." Her brother sighed, running a hand through his spiky, azure hair. Her looked at his shoes as he replied, "Yuna didn't exactly 'grind my heart into the dirt' like I told you she did..."  
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Flashback, Yuna - Seven years old, Horohoro - Seven years old, Kotaro - Seven years old, Pirika - Six years old  
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"Umm, Yuna-chan?" Horohoro asked his friend, propping his child-sized snowboard against a tree. The raven haired girl smiled at him, "Yes, Horo-kun, what is it?" The ocean eyed boy blushed at her nickname for him.

"Umm...er...I mean...I think that you're really pretty and...and I really...like you..." Yuna's eyes widened and her cheeks tinged slightly pink. She motioned for Horohoro to come closer, so he took a few steps closer, but refused to go any farther.

"Horohoro, I think that you're really nice, but..." she stoped when the Ainu looked at the ground, his eyes beginning to water. With a sigh, the Chinese girl looked to the side and went over what she was about to say in her head, _'If I let him down easy then there won't be very much harm done, right?'_.

"Horo-kun, we're only seven years old...I remember Jun-san saying that 'all love takes time', so maybe when we're older we might feel different...I think that we should stay friends...at least for now, okay Horo-kun?" Her friend's head was still facing downward, but it quickly snapped up, a smile firmly set in place, "Jun-san is right, Yuna-chan. Maybe I just got confused, or something?"

"Maybe." Yuna agreed, a smile also gracing her features. For the first time since Yuna had begun to stay in Patch Village, Horohoro didn't blush when around her. "Arigatou, Yuna-chan!" the azure haired Ainu exclaimed, hugging the chocolate eyed girl tightly before laughing at himself and putting her down.

"Wow, that's the first time I've really been able to hug you without spazzing out! You're right, being friends is much eaisier!" Yuna smiled at her friend, but was distracted by a rustling in the trees behind her.

The pair watched for a moment before seeing the steel eyed Kotaro leaping down from it's branches. "Hey Yuna-chan, Horohoro-kun! What're you up to?" The raven-haired girl glared at the navy haired intruder, "You know very well what we're up to, because you listened in on us, Kotaro-kun!"

Kotaro flinched and backed away as she got closer, "Okay, I did! Gomen nasai!" he looked at the lighter haired male, "And you're okay with this, Horohoro?" The said boy nodded, his smile firmly in place once more.

Horohoro stetched, yawning widely before grinning, "I'm surprised that Pirika hasn't found me yet! I better find a new hiding place soon, though. If she comes over here, then say you didn't see me!"

"Sure." Yuna and Kotaro said unanimously, secretly crossing their fingers behind their backs. When the ocean eyed boy left the clearing they both turned to each other. Kotaro put a hand behind his neck, "Gomen nasai for eavesdropping, Yuna-chan. I was only curious...he finally admitted his crush, though? He's braver than I thought! Who knew that he'd actually go through with the dare?"

"What dare?" his companion asked icily, a harsh glare startling him backwards into a large root that was sticking out of the ground. He scotted backwards even more, having tripped and fallen over the root, out of fear of the girl standing over him.

"Ummm, don't get mad, Yuna-chan," he softly said, "I dared Horohoro-kun to tell you about his feelings, but I figured that he wouldn't do it. Gomen nasai, Yuna!" He exclaimed, covering his head and shutting his eyes, preparing for the beating he knew was coming.

Instead of feeling pain, he heard muffled sobbing to his right. He peeked through his arms to see Yuna wiping away tears as they fell down her face as she sat down on a fallen tree. Imeadiately, Kotaro felt a wave of guilt come hurtling at him. He quicky picked himself up from the dirt, rushing over to sit next to his friend.

Kotaro placed a comforting hand on Yuna's shoulder, "Hey, you know the truth now, right? Everything turned out okay, right?" she gave a small nodd, "Then what's wrong, Yuna-chan?" She sniffled a little bit before looking into his grey eyes, "I don't like hurting people, Taro-kun," the boy blushed at the pet name she used, rarely, for him, "He looked so sad when I told him that we should be friends...and then..."

"What, Yuna-chan?" Kotaro encouraged, a sad smile on his face. He was glad that Yuna was talking openly to him, as she was usually very reserved whenever he was around, but he wasn't very happy with himself for being the reason she was crying in the first place. He hated it when girls cried, but he hated it more when he was helpless in the situation.

"I told him that maybe when we were older we could be more than friends..." Her chocolate eyes began to water even more, but Kotaro hugged his crying friend, "I know, I heard everything, remember? What's wrong with telling him that?"

This was apparently the _wrong_ thing to say, because Yuna broke into full-blown sobs, hugging the confused boy tightly as her crying made the shoulder of his red sweater damp. "Sssshhhh, it's okay. Horohoro is going to be fine, so what's wrong?" he asked again, holding her out at arms-length.

"I lied to him, Taro-kun! I like him as a friend, but now I'll just have to say the same things when we're older...I'm a bad friend, Taro-kun!" Kotaro frowned at her, "No you're not! You're still one of Horohoro's best friends, and now you're closer with each other than ever! You're friends with Ren, Pirika, and me...you were and still are one of my favorite people! Maybe you did lie to him, but we'll take care of that when it happens. I promise that you'll never be a bad friend to me, Yuna-chan!"

His words consoled Yuna, and her crying was reduced to sniffles as she hugged Kotaro again, "Arigatou, Taro-kun. You're such a great person!" He blushed at her words, putting a sheepish hand behind his head.

She released him and he pushed himself up off the log, holding his hand out to assist her up, as well. The black-clad girl took it and smiled warmly at his gentle touch. They looked at each other for a few moments, but were startled five feet apart by a rustling at the opposite end of the clearing.

The rustling quieted as the younger Ainu sibling stepped past the bushes. She smiled widely at seeing Kotaro, giving a slightly more forced smile when she glanced at Yuna, "Hey, have either of you seen Onii-chan? Ren-kun and I searched the house, but we couldn't find him."

Kotaro smirked, "We'll help you look for him!" Pirika looked back at Yuna, concern showing in her ocean eyes, "Yuna-chan, have you been crying?" Yuna's eyes widened and she hesitated to speak, but Kotaro cut in, "She skinned her knee earlier, we were just about to go inside so we could clean her up." he supplied.

"Oh, are you alright?" the Ainu girl asked, geniune concern laced into her words. Even though she and Yuna didn't get along very well, when someone was hurt or sad, Pirika would always be there to lend a hand. Yuna nodded, a real smile finding it's way to her face, "I'm fine, Pirika-chan, thanks to Kotaro-kun."

The said boy blushed, but this went unnoticed by Pirika, "If you're sure. Are you two going to help Ren and I find Onii-chan?" she asked, a hopeful smile on her face. The trio chuckled slightly, before heading out of the clearing.

Yuna and Kotaro hung back a little bit, and Yuna quickly hugged the startled boy. "What was that for?" he asked in a whisper. "For not telling Pirika why I was really crying." His eyes danced with mirth and pride as he said, "I figured that you wouldn't want anyone to know, Yuna-chan." They smiled at each other and quickened their paces to catch up with Pirika.  
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Present Time  
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Pirika looked with disapproval at her brother, who cringed at her glare. "I'm just not sure about anything anymore, Pirika...I don't think that I have a crush on Yuna, but what she said a long time ago keeps running around in my head. I never thought that I would see her again, to be completely honest."

Pirika's expression softened, and she sighed, "Onii-chan, the only one who knows the real answer to your problem is you. I can help you figure it out, but you're the only one who has the solution." Horohoro slid down against the wall he'd been leaning on, "Arigatou, Imotou, this means alot to me."

"I know, Onii-chan. Now, how do you feel when you're around Yuna?" Her brother looked at the ceiling for awhile before answering, "Warm, I guess. She's pretty and sophisticated, but she gets really bossy sometimes. I haven't seen her in a long time, but I'm pretty sure that this feelings different from the one I felt for her before."

"When you had a crush on her, or when you were friends?"

"I don't know..."

"That doesn't help, Onii-chan." she sighed again, "Alright, how do you feel about Tamao?" Horohoro smiled, "She's beautiful, she's a great cook, and she listens to my crazy stories, even if she knows they're not true. She laughs with me and not at me, and she actually appears to like having me around..."

His eyes widened, "I'm in love, aren't I?" he asked, a smile on his face as he stood up. Pirika smiled with him, only to be hugged tightly by the taller Ainu. "Thanks sis."

"No problem, Onii-chan." He released her after awhile, and looked around the corner, "Huh, I thought I heard something..." he said while walking out into the empty hallway. Pirika shrugged, "Who knows? Let's go to the arcade and find Tamao-chan!" The siblings laughed a little and headed toward the arcade.

Inside, they found the group, but they all looked concerned about the one missing member. "Where's Tamao?" Horohoro asked, a confused look on his face. Yuna stepped forward, a sad frown on her face, "She noticed that you and Pirika had gone into that hallway, so she started to follow you. She came back to the arcade crying and told us that she would be in her room. Did something bad happen to her?"

Horohoro and Pirika looked at each other, "I'll go and get her." the spiky haired boy volunteered, before turning on heel and heading out of the arcade. Ren walked up to Pirika, concern showing on his features as well, "What happened, Pirika?"

"I'm not sure."

With Horohoro

Horohoro slipped his key card into the mechanical slot on the door to the room that he and Tamao shared, opening the door quietly and walking inside. He heard muffled sobbing, and his heart clenched from within his chest. He stopped in the doorway to peer at his love.

She was sitting on the edge of her bed, facing the window, and, though he couldn't see her face, he knew that it was red from crying. "Tamao-chan?" he asked cautiously, taking a few steps closer. The pink haired girl quieted her sobbing, but did nothing after that.

Horohoro decided to move closer, and almost got to edge of her bed that she wasn't on, but was stopped wen she spoke, "Why are you here, Horohoro?" she asked, sniffling a bit when she finished her question. He took a couple of cautios steps closer, "I'm here to see what's wrong, Tamao." He felt pains stab at his heart, because for the first time in the years that they'd known each other, his name was spoken by her without "-kun" on the end.

"Why do you care? You should just go back to Akira-san, I'm sure she's getting lonely." she muttered quietly, surprising Horohoro, as she had never used such a spite-filled tone of voice before. "Yuna? What are you talking about, Tamao?" he asked in bewilderment, edging closer.

"Why do you care?" she asked, sobbing into her hands once again. She felt her hands being pulled gently away from her face to be held by two larger, more callous hands. She looked up into the face of the man that she felt had betrayed her, and was pulled into an embrace.

"I care, because you're the most beautiful woman I have ever met and will ever meet, your cooking skills are unrivaled by even the most famous of chefs, you're so kind that it's a miracle that I even know you, Tamao-chan, and...and..."

She hesitantly wrapped her arms around the ice shaman that was trying to comfort her, a blush staining her cheeks, "And what, Horohoro?"

"Aishiteru, Tamamura Tamao, aishiteru..." He felt her start sobbing again, and he tried again to soothe her crying, "Everything is going to be okay, Tamao-chan, I promise you that." He pulled her tighter to his body, kissing her forehead occaisionally.

"Horo-kun?" she asked, tentatively looking up. Horohoro's heart soared at the pet name, "Yes, Tamao-chan?" She lifted her head and connected his lips to hers.

After a few moments of pounding hearts, closed eyes, and pure bliss, the kiss was broken by Tamao, "Aishiteru yo, Horo-kun." A wide smile blessed his lips, and he pulled her in for another kiss.

After several gentle kisses and loving gazes, the two agreed that it was time to head back to the arcade. When they arrived, the entire group broke into smiles, because they needed no explanation. The could see Horohoro and Tamao's intertwined hands.  
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There's the HorohoroTamao fluff for the reviewers that were secretly longing for it! PLEASE forgive my tardiness, as I stated in the beginning of this chapter, I was lacking in internet acess and inspiration!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter of "A Very Good Liar", and I hope that you further understand why Kotaro and Yuna like each other so much. I have gotten way more reviews than I had asked for, and I am grateful to those who still like my story! It is more than I deserve.

Should I write more HorohoroTamao fics? See, Yuna isn't that evil!

In case the point was missed, Tamao overheard Horohoro and Pirika's conversation, but only the part in which they discussed Horohoro's past crush on Yuna.

Thank you for reading, please review!


	7. Angels and Guardians

A Very Good Liar

Disclaimer: As much as I wish it so, Shaman King will never be mine. God knows the havoc I'd unleash. This fic revolves around RenPirika, though there are hints of YohAnna and HorohoroTamao.

And I don't own the song "Everything" either. Lifehouse does, take it up with them...  
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Chapter Seven  
Angels and Guardians  
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The arcade was filled with multitudes of shamans, young and old, but it seemed that there were more than enough games to entertain all. Black light caused all white shirts to glow a neon blue, and the neon markings on the carpeting to shine brightly. The walls had a black base, but had been splattered with various bright colors, causing the entire arcade to look like a spaceship. The best part about the arcade, though, was that it was free for all of the guests. No tokens required, and no money out of your pocket.

The Shaman King and Queen had decided to go and look for the chance games, while Tamao decided to appease Horohoro and attempt to play a fighting game with him. This left Kotaro, Yuna, Ren, and Pirika to look for a multi player game.

They walked through the arcade, idly chatting for awhile, until they came to the racing games. In the center of the arcade, there were enough consoles for up to twenty people to play at a time on a single game. That was only one of the sections, though. There were four sections total, car racing, snowmobile racing, off road ATV racing, and motorcycle racing. "Video games may rot your brain, but I'll risk anything for the sake of a good competition." Ren muttered with a grin, earning a small laugh from Pirika.

"Well," Kotaro began, "We have two choices to make, my friends." He looked around in mock severity at each person in turn. "Firstly, we must decide which game to play, and, secondly, we must decide who we are all going to gang up on so that their vehicle blows up first." This statement caused everyone else to laugh, but their mirth was cut off by a finger which the navy haired boy held in the air.

"First, we have your average racing game. You get three lives, which means if one the other players smashes your car into a wall, one of them disappears. It's like magic, only much more obvious! In this you can choose which difficulty level, car, and course you wish to use. The higher the difficulty setting, the faster the car. But be wary, steering begins to become much harder to do. With the steering problem comes the possibility of running into a wall and blowing up, so it saves the other players the trouble of ramming you into a wall! Overall, this game offers an adrenalin rush that will make you keep putting tokens into the slots just so you can continue. We can handle our addictions here and now, though, seeing as Jun-san has been so kind as to allow for free game play!" Kotaro explained, standing in front of one of the consoles and sweeping an arm over the steering wheel.

"Ren-kun, how about describing the next game console for our lovely lady friends?" Without missing a beat, Ren smiled and stepped into the snowmobile racing isle. "What you see here is not any average snowmobile game. These snowmobiles are equipped with Nos(AN: How the Hell do you spell that?), which will send you speeding through the course so fast that even the virtual snow around you will melt! Within this game, you not only get to choose which snowmobile you ride, you choose which character you want. The characters range from your average skiing woman/man, to the Yeti."

As if to prove his point, Ren pointed to the image of the Yeti that appeared on the side of the console, it was riding a snowmobile and crossing over the finish line. This earned him some laughs, so he continued, "Each of these characters comes with their own special attack. Yes, I said attack! You can not only pummel the person riding next to you, you can launch missiles at them, simply with the press of a button on either handlebar! You receive these extras, such as missiles, by doing tricks in midair after you launch off of a ramp, or by picking them up as you go along through the course. If your snowmobile explodes three times, or if you fall into one of the cliffs that the game places in your path, you get a game over. You also get to steer on synthetic snowmobiles, which should be an honor all by itself!"

Ren bowed lavishly as his viewers applauded his sarcasm, only to be pushed playfully to the ground by Kotaro, who had snuck up behind him halfway through his advertising. He fell onto the carpeting in front of Pirika's feet, causing everyone to laugh, including Ren, himself. The ocean eyed girl helped him up and said, "I always knew that you'd end up falling for me."

Ren blushed at this, but smirked as a comeback formed in his mind, "No, I threw myself there so that I could kiss the ground that you walk upon." His smirk grew wider when she blushed even brighter than he was and hit his shoulder lightly. Yuna ignored this exchange, while Kotaro simply smiled and cleared his throat, "On to the next game!" He proclaimed, a finger in the air, blushing once he saw Yuna laugh with Ren and Pirika.

"This," he stepped aside as if revealing a great treasure, "Is an off road ATV system. In this game, there is no limit on how many times you can blow up! As with the snowmobile game, you ride steer via a synthetic vehicle. Sadly, these machines are not equipped with Nos, but they make up for it with the Battle Arena. Battle Arena places you on a field that is covered with obstacles, trenches in which to hide in, and various weapons at your disposal. This game offers racing, as well, but for the best experience, I would recommend grabbing the missiles in Battle Arena, waiting for an unsuspecting victim, like Ren, to drive by your hiding place, and raining Hell down upon them!" Ren raised his middle finger to the grey eyed boy, but this only caused everyone to laugh harder, so he took it as his cue to walk up to the next game console.

"Unlimited crashing ability in this game as well! Which means that you will be mercilessly targeted, so you better be good at dodging! You also ride a synthetic vehicle, though not like an ATV, or a snowmobile. These are imitation crotch rockets, which you _have_ to lean with to turn. Much like the snowmobile game, you are able to choose from a variety of characters, but _not_ the Yeti. I can see Bigfoot in the crowd, though!" Again, a finger was aimed in the direction of the image adorning the side of the console, and, sure enough, there was Bigfoot cheering with the other members of the crowd.

Ren grinned as he watched Pirika try to hold her mirth behind her hand. He then slipped back into his I'm-faking-enthusiasm voice, and continued with his presentation of the game, "Although you are not allowed missiles to launch at other players, such as Kotaro," this was rewarded with chuckles from all, and a grin from the said boy, "You can pick up baseball bats, brass knuckles, and even use your entire bike as a deadly weapon! You can do this by using passing and oncoming vehicles as ramps, and throwing your bike into another player! Nos is included as an extra in this game, which will really help you to get past the finish line first! Usually, those who play this game get too involved in breaking the other players' heads in to even bother making it past the checkpoints and finish line before the time runs out!"

Kotaro stepped beside Ren, "Well, ladies, which shall we play?" he asked. Yuna and Pirika looked at each other, and then both said "Snowmobile racing." Their unanimous statements caused both boys to raise an eyebrow. _'Girls _have _to have telepathy. What else could explain how they know so much?'_ Ren thought, falling into step beside Pirika as they made their way to a space of four empty spots in the snowmobile isle.

Pirika tugged on his hoody until they were at eye level, "Thank you for getting along with Kotaro-kun, Ren-kun, it means alot to both him and me." The smile she gave him made his legs go numb, the best response he could give without looking like an idiot was to simply smile back. Sadly, he didn't get along with Kotaro very well, Kotaro got along just fine with him, but the friendship wasn't really mutual. The only times that Ren hadn't called the steel eyed boy by his surname were when they were children, and moments ago when they were entertaining Pirika and Yuna.

When they reached the imitation snowmobiles, Ren and Kotaro took a seat on the middle two snowmobiles, Yuna sat on the right-hand side of the Kotaro, and Pirika sat on the left-hand side of Ren. They all pushed the start button that was in between the handlebars, and chose to join into a multi player race.

Kotaro chose a guy that had navy-hair (AN: Yes, I'm making the characters of this game into anime characters...), much like his own, where Yuna chose a woman whose hair was shorter than her own, but the same color. There were no female characters with azure hair, so Pirika chose a female character that had, much to Ren's dismay, purple hair. There were no male characters with purple hair, which wasn't surprising, so Ren chose the Yeti to be his character. "Told you purple hair wasn't very common." Pirika said, a smirk on her face so like Ren's that it was unsettling.

"Let's pick an easy course first. So that you girls can get a feeling for it, seeing as Yukihiro and I have played this before." Ren suggested, a smirk also on his face. Both Yuna and Pirika looked ready to attack him for this joke, but where halted when Kotaro corrected Ren, "Don't you mean so that _you_ can 'get a feeling for it'?"

"Oh yeah, that's what I meant. That was hilarious, Yukihiro." Ren stated in complete monotone, obviously annoyed. Yuna glared over at the other Chinese shaman, "Let's pick a difficult course, I'm quite sure that Pirika and I will be able to handle it." Ren shrugged, "Okay, but Kotaro and I aren't going to go easy on you! Is a difficult course alright with you, Pirika?"

The ocean eyed girl nodded determinedly, "Let's start the race." she replied with a smirk. The countdown began, and, in three seconds, all four competitors were racing through the course. Kotaro and Ren both headed straight for the ramps, but Ren was the only one to get the missiles, which were immediately launched at the other male combatant. A sharp turn to the left, however, and Kotaro had sheltered himself behind a boulder.

"Nice try, Ren, but you'll have to do better than that!" Kotaro said, a grin making it's way onto his face. Ren smirked and followed his target as he shot out from behind the boulder, "I have you now, Yukihiro." he announced, before pushing the Nos button, ramming into Kotaro's snowmobile, sending it spinning out of control and into the waiting wall.

"Nice shot!" The red-clad boy exclaimed, waiting patiently for the game to readjust itself, "You might want to watch out though, Ren-kun." Ren took on a bewildered stare, "What are you talking about, Yukihiro?"

"He's talking about me!" Pirika exclaimed, launching a barrage of missiles at the surprised boy. They were all direct hits, causing the snowmobile to catch fire. "You caught on pretty fast! You haven't played this before?" he asked, watching with dismay as Kotaro passed him on the track. Pirika smirked, "Onii-chan is a game freak, he taught me everything he knows. If you'd have asked that instead of assuming that I'd never played, you might have stood a chance!"

Ren's eyes widened, "I have underestimated my opponent, a grave mistake on my part. I'll quit holding back on you, then!" he stated as his snowmobile was replaced, before using Nos to catch up to Kotaro, Yuna, and Pirika. He reached them just in time to see Kotaro perform a jump from one of the ramps, but rather than go for the weapon, he aimed for Yuna.

She proved to be just as elusive as he was, though, because she swerved out of the way and let off the gas so that she lagged back slightly, putting Kotaro in front of her. "While you and Ren were busy duking it out, I was stocking up on missiles!" With that, the missiles flew forward from her snowmobile. Out of the five shots fired, only two managed to hit him as he turned sharply, but they clipped him enough to flip the vehicle on which he rode over.

"You're better than this, Kotaro-kun! Quit going easy on us, especially now that you know that all of us have played before!" she said, hitting him with another missile as soon as his snowmobile tipped back over. "Wait," Ren cut in, "Yuna's played before, too?"

"Like Pirika said, quit assuming things! Kotaro and I spent about an hour on this game earlier before we met up with Horohoro and the others. This game freak I'm playing next to won every round earlier, too, and he better start trying to win this round!" Kotaro laughed, "Alright, I'll show you all what a true game freak can do!"

While Ren attempted to shoot up a ramp, Kotaro grabbed some missiles and came to a complete halt next to the ramp Ren was jumping off. Ren landed, missiles in tow, and Kotaro launched his missiles. Right after, he aimed for Ren and hit the Nos button, which sent him forward fast enough so that he passed the very missiles he shot and managed to hit Ren's player with his own player's arm before the missiles struck.

"How in the Hell did you do that!" Ren exclaimed, looking with amazement at the ball of fire that used to be his snowmobile. Kotaro grinned as he continued on the course, "I'm a game freak, what can I say?"

Ren's vehicle had finally replaced itself, allowing him to catch up with his previous attacker by using Nos, swinging his arm and hitting Kotaro as he passed. "Why don't we show the girls how good we are at this game, Yukihiro?" the purple haired shaman suggested, earning a nod from the steel eyed boy. Both simultaneously smashed their Nos buttons, sending them flying toward their new targets.

Yuna launched a batch of missiles at Pirika in midair, but the Ainu girl swerved to quickly, "You'll have to do better than that, Yuna!", she laughed, before sending a barrage of missiles straight back at the girl, but the projectiles passed by her as she turned sharply, barely catching herself from falling into a dark crevice that served as an obstacle.

"Nice try, but you missed!" she spoke laughingly, only to notice the smirk firmly in place on Pirika's face, "Did I?" she asked, sending two sets of missiles at the trapped girl. Yuna looked in shock at the screen as her player fell into the crevice, the "GAME OVER" screen flashing red in front of her face. She gathered what was left of her dignity, though, cleared her throat, and left the console.

She walked over to the girl that was now in the lead, "If you keep this winning streak of yours up you just may prove yourself...to be better than game freak over there, I mean..." she said, embarrassed. Pirika smiled, "I'll make sure I beat Ren and Kotaro at the game for you, Yuna-chan." Yuna smiled slightly as well, before heading back over to the other side of Kotaro.

Now, only Pirika, Ren, and Kotaro remained playing the game. The yeti character swept past the purple haired one, heading for the navy haired character that was in the lead. Ren drove off of a ramp, heading for his rival, but missed as his prey swerved out of the way, revealing to his hunter why he had swerved in the first place. There was a large crevice, and Ren was flying straight toward it.

Luckily, though, he barely cleared the gaping hole, and was back in the race. The end of the course was nearing, and the obstacles were becoming fewer. He heard Pirika laugh just before his screen flashed red, announcing that a set of missiles had locked on to him. "Take this!" he yelled, sending a set of his own missiles after the passing victor. He received the satisfaction of seeing her snowmobile blow up upon impact with the projectiles, just before his own vehicle did the same.

Ren sighed as the screen flashed the GAME OVER sign in his face, but leapt off of his own snowmobile to cheer on the very player who had defeated him. The race was now in it's final phase, and the two combatants left were pelting each other with, not missiles, but fists, as they rode toward the finish line.

"Now we'll see which game freak shall be victorious." Yuna mumbled absentmindedly, receiving a grin from Ren.

Her comment was also heard by Pirika, who looked over in mock indignation to say, "I am _not_ a game freak!" This was her only mistake throughout the game, because Kotaro, who had fallen a short distance behind, had just acquired a set of projectiles. He grinned and sent them at her, watching her snowmobile light up as he passed.

"You're good, Pirika-chan, but you're not good enough!" Kotaro laughed quietly as he approached the finish line. "I'll admit that I'm a closet game freak," Pirika stated quietly as her snowmobile rebuilt itself, "And that's exactly why I won't lose to you!" she finished triumphantly, slamming her hand down on the Nos button, and sending her snowmobile flying off of a ramp.

She crossed the finish line in midair...at the same time as Kotaro. "DRAW" their screens flashed in blue, surprising all four shamans. "What? Is it even possible to tie in a racing game!" Ren asked, looking between Kotaro and Pirika, seeing as they had the most gaming experience. "It's rare, but it can happen." Kotaro said, hopping off his snowmobile and heading over to Pirika's.

He bowed lowly, "I underestimated you, Pirika-chan. Your Onii-chan really did teach you everything he knew!" He smiled and put a sheepish hand behind his head. "I have an idea. Why don't I, to make up for my underestimations of you, buy you dinner?"

Ren glared darkly at the scene that was laid out before him. Pirika laughed, and modestly shook her head, "You don't have to do that, Kotaro-kun. We both won, so we'll both pay for dinner. Yuna-chan, Ren-kun, how about it, does dinner sound good to you?" She frowned slightly when she saw Ren's glare become colder.

"Sure, dinner for Yukihiro and you sounds really _grand_. I'd join you both, but I don't seem to have much of an appetite anymore..." he spat out, turning on heel and storming out of the arcade. The three he left behind looked at his retreating form in surprise, then at each other.

Yuna was the first to recover, "Kotaro, go find Ren, he seemed to think that you meant to take only Pirika out to dinner." Kotaro nodded determinedly, and headed out of the arcade. "Not you Pirika," Yuna said, grabbing the girl's arm so that she couldn't follow the steel eyed boy, "We need to talk." Pirika looked angrily at her rival, "We can talk about my not being good enough for Ren later, Akira, but right now, I'm going to go find him!"

Yuna looked shocked, but wouldn't let Pirika go. She seemed to get over her shock, because she was smiling slightly as she faced the ocean eyed girl, "We _are_ going to talk about you and Ren, Pirika-chan, but I want to tell you why you _might_ just be the best thing that's ever happened to him." Pirika stopped struggling to get away from the raven haired girl's iron grip and stared at her, beyond surprised.

"What?" the Ainu girl asked quietly, her eyes shining with confusion. Yuna smiled more, making Pirika become suspicious of her intentions. "Come with me." Yuna stated, pulling the girl out of the dark arcade and into the bright hallways. The azure haired girl squinted, trying to glare at her captor, "Well?" she asked, a skeptical look on her face.

"Well, I want to start by making sure that you knew that Kotaro had intended to bring Ren and I along to dinner as well. You _did_ know that, right?" Yuna asked. Pirika nodded, "That's how we've celebrated everything since we were all children, what's wrong with that?" Yuna sighed, "Ren may have gotten the wrong idea. It has been years since Kotaro and him have met, and Ren has always considered him to be...his rival, I suppose."

"What was there to rival over?" Pirika asked, confused, again. Yuna smiled grimly, "Ren always thought that Kotaro was vying for your affections, so he has resented him since the beginning. When, in reality, Kotaro is only trying to be chivalrous and kind, but his deep friendship with you has sparked something inside of Ren."

Pirika's gaze darkened in thought, "So, you're trying to tell me that Ren is jealous?" she asked cautiously. Yuna nodded, glad that Pirika understood. Her relief was short lived, however, because Pirika had taken to glaring at her.

"Why are you bothering to tell me this? Is this another one of your tests? Is this another one of your lies so you can see "how gullible Pirika is"!" the Ainu questioned icily. Yuna closed her eyes in frustration, "Pirika-chan, didn't I just tell you that you're the best thing that's ever happened to him? Why would I say that if I didn't mean it?"

"To make a fool out of me, as you always attempt to!" Yuna's eyes snapped open at that, "Over the time I have spent with Kotaro, he has changed me. He's changed me so much, that I have come to realize that I have questioned your worth for years, Pirika-chan, and every time I try to bring you down or push you away, you prove that you aren't to be taken lightly! You're the only woman I have known that can handle that stubborn shaman, and, although you have been putting up with his shit for a shorter time than I have, you've definitely received more!"

Pirika's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened at Yuna's sudden outburst, but the Chinese girl wasn't finished yet, "I test you so much, because I want the best for Ren, and a strong wife for the future head of our clan. My cousin doesn't know what he wants half of the time, because he loses sight in what he should believe in, but he has _always_ wanted you, Pirika-chan. And he feels that he has lost his fight for you, because his jealousy has blinded him again..."

The said girl, disoriented by this sudden news, spoke her query softly, "What?" Yuna frowned slightly, "You don't get it? He's _in love_ with you, and has been since he met you." Pirika frowned, "He wouldn't have left all those years ago if he really cared." she stated bluntly, making to turn away from the girl, but being stopped by the "Iron Grip" again.

"When he left Patch Village to train in China, you were the only thing he thought or cared about. Uncle En, though he is not the harsh man he became during those years, played with his mind so that he would be ruthless and cold. It hurt me to see how hard Ren trained every waking moment, but he was training so hard, not to please his father, but to make _you_ proud of him. He always believed that he wasn't worthy of you, he's even called you 'his angel'...Pirika-chan, though you may not believe me, I am sorry for the torment that I have burdened you with, but I was only looking out for my cousin."

Yuna looked hopefully at the doubting girl, who still seemed dazed. Her hope was crushed as Pirika whispered, "What?" again. Yuna looked at the wall next to her, and mentally restrained herself from smashing either her fist, head, or Pirika's head into it.

"What do you mean by, 'my cousin'?" Yuna looked skeptically at the azure haired girl, "Exactly what I said, I'm only looking out for my cousin. Uncle En has an older sister named Tao Meiya, she's my mother, therefore making Ren my cousin."

Pirika seemed to zone again, and Yuna was beginning to lose her patience, but the sea eyed girl snapped back to reality and embraced the raven haired girl jovially. "What the Hell! Let go of me!" Yuna shouted, beginning to think that Pirika had become insane.

"This is so wonderful, Yuna-chan," she said with a smile as she released the perturbed girl, "You can't be after Ren-kun, because you're his cousin!" Yuna's eyes widened and she seemed to gag with disgust, "_You thought that I was after my own cousin!_ That is the sickest thing I have ever had the misfortune of hearing! You're insane!"

Pirika laughed slightly, "No, just happy! Does he really love me, Yuna-chan?" she asked, her cheeks becoming several different shades of red. "Yes, he does! Now go and get him back and leave me to wallow in your disturbing thoughts!" Her outburst only made Pirika laugh again, but the Ainu soon turned to leave again.

"Yuna?" Pirika asked, turning back to the raven haired girl. "What more do you want from me!" Yuna asked, exasperated and overcome by disgust. "Does this mean were friends?" Yuna's expression faded into a thoughtful look, and she nodded, "I suppose it does, Pirika-chan..."

Pirika smiled at her ex-rival, and ran down the hallway toward the elevators. Yuna smiled at her retreating form, and, when she was out of sight, began to gag again, "She thought I was into my cousin!"  
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$  
With Kotaro  
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The red-clad boy knocked gently on the door to room forty-four A, and rapped a little louder when there was no response. Finally, footsteps were heard, and Ren opened the door. The glare that Kotaro received from the purple haired boy caused him to flinch slightly. "What do you want, Yukihiro?"

Kotaro put a hand behind his neck, "I wanted to apologize, and to say that you've got it all wrong, Ren-san." Ren's frown only deepened as he said, "Sure, shouldn't you be getting back to your date, now? Wouldn't want to leave her waiting for too long."

He began to close the door, but Kotaro stuck his foot in the way, "Please, Ren-san, listen to me! You misheard me earlier, I meant to treat _everyone_ to dinner, not just Pirika!" Ren, however, didn't listen to his explanation, and pushed harder on the door, crushing Kotaro's foot between the door and the frame.

The hurting boy only clenched his jaw and muttered through the pressure that was slowly increasing with each second he didn't remove his foot, "I know that you can force me out of here, Ren, but I could care less if you shattered my foot, because what I have to say is worth hearing!"

Ren ceased his pushing for a few moments, then leaned close to Kotaro and whispered, "_Fine!_", before pushing harder on the door, causing the Ainu boy to gasp in pain, and then pulling it away. Kotaro sighed at the relieved tension, and looked down at his injured appendage, imagining the swelling that would make it impossible to remove his shoes later on that night.

He limped after the Chinese shaman, wincing every time his foot touched the floor. He sat down on the edge of the bed while the tiger eyed boy sat in the desk chair and faced him. "You have five minutes," Ren stated, "After that, I'll forcibly remove you from this room via the balcony." Kotaro nodded grimly, what the purple haired teenager had said wasn't a threat, it was a promise.

"As I said earlier, I was going to treat everyone to dinner, not just Pirika. I never meant to make you-"

"Make me what? Jealous! Well, don't worry, I'm not!" Ren spat out, glaring even harder at the Ainu boy, "I got the point. You can leave now. I'll even let you use the door, as long as you do it _now_..." When Kotaro shook his head, Ren got up from his seat and moved closer, "I _will_ throw you off of the balcony if you don't walk out yourself, Yukihiro."

"I know that Ren, but you haven't seemed to have gotten the fact that a mistake has been made on both of our parts!" Ren smirked and grabbed the steel eyed boy's shoulder, "Oh, really? What mistakes are those? Are they my 'jealousy' and your 'causing the entire problem'!" he clutched a fistful of the red hoody that Kotaro was wearing, and pulled so that he was standing up.

Kotaro's eyes widened as a frowning Ren dragged him toward the open balcony doors, forcing him to hop on his uninjured foot. He frantically searched for an escape route, "My mistake was not expressing my intentions more clearly, and yours was walking away from Pirika in the first place!" This was apparently not the right thing to say, because Ren merely jerked his arm, causing Kotaro to lose his balance.

"Why should I not walk away? She's done it before, as well!" He asked, stopping his dragging and turning to his relieved captive. Kotaro looked Ren in the eye, "Because she loves you, Ren. And when you walk away, it hurts her more than anything else."

Ren stared back at the determined Ainu, before releasing him and walking back over to the desk chair. "What the Hell are you talking about, Yukihiro? She seemed pretty delighted by your treating 'us' to dinner." he asked quietly, taking a seat and glaring at the wall.

Kotaro got up from the floor, and hobbled back to the bed, but made sure to sit on the side farthest from the balcony. "Ren," he began, "I was the one that she confided in after you left Patch Village to train in China, she was completely heartbroken. She kept asking me why you had to leave to train, and why Horohoro was training, as well. Horohoro told Yoh, when they first met, that he trained so hard so that he could save all of Hokkaido and Patch Village, but his real reason was so that he would be strong enough to defeat you. Pirika didn't smile for two years after you left...and Horohoro hates you for that."

"I _had_ to train to become the Shaman King, so that I could...never mind, it's none of your business, Yukihiro..." Ren said, running his hands through his purple hair. Kotaro frowned, "She told me about when you stayed at the En Inn during the tournament, as well..."

Ren sighed, "I wanted to be the Shaman King so that I could be strong for her...but I just ended up hurting her more..."  
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$  
Flashback, Ren - Thirteen years old, Pirika - Twelve years old  
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The purple haired shaman sighed as he looked around the En Inn, _'Though it's small and could use cleaning, I suppose that it has to be better than the mansion in China...who knows what could happen if I sought shelter there...'_ he thought, remembering the harsh training that he had been forced to undergo within the dungeons of the nearly damnable place.

The Taos, throughout his training, had become his most hated enemy, because, while his father grew colder with each passing day, his mother and sister could do nothing to stop it. Even his Aunt Meiya, En's elder sister, could not prevent the beatings and abuse that he went through every day.

He hated them not only because of his training, but because they had taken him away from Pirika, his Ainu fiancé. He had begged to stay in Patch Village with the people that he had come to trust, but his father would not be swayed on the issue, and flew back to China on a private jet, not giving him any time to say goodbye to Pirika. En told him that if he became the Shaman King, he would be wise and strong enough to have a fiancé like Pirika.

As time went on, Ren had attempted to write to her, but only managed to complete one, because he would become frustrated and ruin the letter be tearing it to shreds if it wasn't satisfactory. His letter was short, saying only that he would return one day stronger than before, and that he was sorry. He signed it "Love Always, Tao Ren", but he expected that she was far too angry to ever read it.

He let out another sigh and made his way up the stairs so that he might place his things in his room. He glanced into the open door of Asakura Yoh's room, and saw the Itako and him meditating together. He shook his head as he remembered how hard Kyouyama Anna could slap, and continued down the hall to his room.

Ren placed all of his things in the corner of his new room, his Kwan Dao leaning up against the wall near the futon he would sleep on. He heard a familiar humming, and looked around. He had heard that tune before, when he stayed in Patch Village with Pirika and Horohoro. The humming had stopped, however, and Ren believed himself to be daydreaming again.

When he was all packed, he headed into the hall, looking for the kitchen so that he could get a glass of milk. His tiger eyes glanced frantically around when the familiar humming once again sounded, it was coming up the stairs. He stood in place, his chest growing tighter as the sound moved closer.

There was a flash of azure and his breath caught in his throat. _'It can't be...why should she be here?'_ he thought in amazement. The girl was carrying a basket of laundry, but it soon fell to the floor as she noticed Ren, who was still standing in place.

Ren looked Pirika over, but stayed where he was. She had definitely grown taller, and looked _way_ more mature than she used to be. She still opted for wearing light blue, like most members of Patch Village, and her ocean colored eyes were brighter than ever.

"Ren-kun?" she asked quietly, shocked and amazed to see him standing before her. He blushed at his old nickname, surprised that she would actually use it again. "Pirika...I'm sorry, I'll help you pick this up..." he said quietly, getting on his knees to pick up the basket and the clothing. His blush only deepened when she stooped to help, as well.

They worked in silence. Once half of the pile that had been dropped to the ground was, again, in the basket, their hands bumped into each other. Ren froze, his face becoming even more red than it already was, as she gently grasped his hand. "It's been a long time, Ren-kun...I've missed you..."

He began to tighten his own grip on the hand he hadn't held in so long, but stopped, snatched his hand away from hers, stood up, and brushed past with nary a word, the shock of it all making it feel like a dream. _'She shouldn't be so kind to me...if she knew what I did to get into the tournament...and of all of the blood I have shed...she'd think me a monster...stay away from me, Pirika-chan, I'm dangerous...' _He then walked down the stairs and right into the elder Ainu sibling, who had been carrying his own load of laundry.

"What the Hell, Pirika, why did you stop so sudden-" Horohoro exclaimed, stopping dead once he noticed that it was Ren who had accidentally knocked the laundry out of his hands. "What the Hell are you doing here, Tao?" he hissed dangerously, his fists shaking with barely contained anger.

"I should be asking the same you question, Horohoro..." He was unprepared for the punch that connected squarely with his jaw that would've sent him down the stairs, had he not clutched the railing in time. "Don't you _dare_ call me by my first name, _Tao_! You made my sister cry, and now you've come back to hurt her again, just after she's almost healed! You're a monster that doesn't deserve her tears!"

He took another swing at the purple haired boy, but Ren quickly ducked, his training taking over the motions of his arms as he swung back, knocking Horohoro to the ground and down the three steps he had come up. "Shit, Horohoro, I apologize, I'm not quite sure what-" he said, as he went down to help his betrothed's brother up, but was tackled around the middle into the wall.

Because of his training, his instinct to protect himself took over, and he fought back against Horohoro. Both of them were sporting black eyes and various injuries by the time Anna had come down the stairs from her meditation to assist Pirika in breaking up the fight.

"Enough!" the blond shouted, startling the two boys apart, "If there is one scratch on the boards of my floor, you'll both endure five weeks of my 'Boot Camp Hell' training. Now, explain yourselves." she commanded, glaring as they hesitated. Horohoro was the first to recover, "He knocked me down on the stairs, Anna."

"You _punched_ me for that! What the Hell is wrong with you!" Anna's sudden glare silenced both of them, "Never mind, the both of you are morons and are going to clean the house for two weeks to make up for fighting under _my_ roof. Understood?"

They both glared at each other, but nodded quickly, nonetheless. When Anna had walked away, Pirika turned to the boys, "I can't believe you two..." and she ran up the stairs, tears in her eyes. Ren and Horohoro looked up the stairs for a few moments, but soon turned to each other in fury, "I knew that you came back to hurt her again, Tao!"

"What the fuck! This is your fault, too, Horohoro!"

"You don't deserve to breathe the same air as me, let alone call me by my first name!" the Ainu exclaimed, making as if he was going to hit the Chinese shaman, but stopping once he remembered his sister. "I'll deal with you later, Tao. Leave my sister and I alone." he stated icily, heading upstairs to comfort his sister.

"What have I done? He's right, I've become a monster..." Ren muttered quietly as he picked himself up off the floor, looking up to the stairs.  
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$  
Present  
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"It took me months to get her to forgive me and understand." Ren muttered sadly, remembering the first night that they watched the sunset together during the Shaman Tournament. He sighed, "It'll probably take even longer to get her to see that I'm sorry this time, though..."

Kotaro shook his head, "She _loves_ you, Ren, I don't think that it'll take very long at all...you love her, too, don't you?" Ren blushed, but replied, "Yes, Yukihiro, I always have..." Kotaro nodded, finding that answer satisfactory, "Then I entrust her into your care. Oh, and Ren?" he asked as he began to limp for the door, "I thought I told you to call me by my first name?"

"Goodbye, and thank you...Kotaro..." Ren said, a smile on his face, though it was hidden by his hands. He heard the door click shut, and, lifting his head, turned to glance out onto the balcony. He stood up, walking out into the rays of moonlight.

_Find me here, and speak to me  
__I want to feel you, I need to hear you  
__You are the light that's leading me  
__To the place where I find peace, again_

Many couples were out on their balconies, just enjoying the chance to spend some time alone with each other. He sighed as he leaned on the railing, not caring, for once, about the height at which he stood. A sigh escaped the purple haired shaman's lips, but it soon became a slight gasp as two arms slid around his middle.

_You are the strength that keeps me walking  
__You are the hope that keeps me trusting  
__You are the light to my soul  
__You are my purpose, you're everything_

He felt long hair brush against the side of his neck as Pirika rested her head on his shoulder, her hands clasped together in front of him. He turned slightly, wrapping his own arms around her, and turning around gently so that she was in front of him. He lifted his hand to brush away some hair from her eyes.

_And how can I stand here with you  
__And not be moved by you  
__Would you tell me, how could it be  
__Any better than this, yeah_

"I'm so sorry, Pirika...I got jealous over nothing...and I'm an idiot for ever walking away from you..." he whispered in her ear as he pulled her into an embrace. She held him, as well, feeling his heartbeat as she rested her head on his shoulder again.

_You calm the storms, and you give me rest  
__You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall  
__You steal my heart, and you take my breath away  
__Would you take me in, take me deeper now_

"You have no reason to apologize for being jealous, if anyone deserves an apology, it's you." Ren looked into the full moon, "What do you mean, Pirika?" he asked quietly, stroking her hair lightly. "I should have never been so callous toward you...or my feelings." she spoke quietly, as she looked up to meet his widening eyes.

_And how can I stand here with you  
__And not be moved by you  
__Would you tell me, how could it be  
__Any better than this_

"It's true, then? You love me?" he asked cautiously, hope filling his expression. Pirika smiled, making her look, to Ren, like an angel. _'I've been saved by my angel, again...'_ he thought, smiling softly at her beauty. "Only if you love me as well..."she said quietly, her ocean-blue eyes meeting with his tiger-gold ones.

_And how can I stand here with you  
__And not be moved by you  
__Would you tell me, how could it be  
__Any better than this_

"Always." Ren whispered, pulling her tighter to him within their embrace, and pressing his lips to hers. The kiss they shared was gentle and tentative, not forceful, nor feather-light. _'I finally got to kiss you, Pirika...I'm never going to walk away from you again, my angel...not if it means I'd be missing out on spending the rest of my life with you...'_ he thought, his eyes sliding shut as the Ainu's did the same.

_'Cause you're all I want, you're all I need  
__You're everything, everything  
__You're all I want, you're all I need  
__You're everything, everything_

_'Then I'll also love you forever, Ren, because an angel needs a guardian...and there could be no better guardian than you...'_ she thought, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him slightly closer to deepen the kiss.

_You're all I want, you're all I need  
__You're everything, everything  
__You're all I want, you're all I need  
__Everything, everything_

Ren, very willingly, obliged, nearly drowning in the sensation of kissing someone he loved more than anything. It was a sensation that the purple haired boy wished never to end.

_And how can I stand here with you  
__And not be moved by you  
__Would you tell me, how could it be  
__Any better than this_

If it was even possible, Pirika felt her heart beat faster. They had been kissing for what felt like forever, when it was really only a few short moments, and she didn't want forever to end. Eventually, though, they both pulled reluctantly away from each other.

_And how can I stand here with you  
__And not be moved by you  
__Would you tell me, how could it be  
__Any better, any better than this_

Ren touched his forehead to Pirika's, a familiar smile firmly set onto his face. He kissed the azure haired girl softly again, and leaned toward her ear, "I love you, Pirika...I always have and always will...nothing will ever change that."

_(And how can I stand here with you  
__And not be moved by you  
__Would you tell me, how could it be  
__Any better than this...)_

The Chinese shaman's heart fluttered as he saw her brilliant smile, "And I always have and always will love you, as well, Ren...I don't believe that you'd ever let anything change that, anyway." Pirika whispered, her hand reaching up to lightly caress his cheek.

_Would you tell me, how could it be  
__Any better than this?_

Ren's own smile grew wider as his eyes slid shut and he pressed his face into her hand, delighted at the small touch on his cheek. He opened his eyes again, and kissed her deeply, believing that he truly was the luckiest man alive.

"We may have missed the sunset," he whispered, once they had parted, "But would you care to sit out here with me to watch the stars for awhile?" His query was received by a smile, and a held hand as the Ainu and the Tao sat on the bench together.  
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

As an apology for the lack of RenPirika in the last chapter (and as another plea for the excuse of my tardiness with posting new chapters), I have posted this chapter much sooner than I had previously planned, and, I wish to add, that it is my longest chapter so far!

I turned sixteen on April 22nd! Happy Birthday to me!

I may not be able to update very fast after this chapter (which is another reason for it's early update), because my family is going through some tough times, and a custody battle over me may be happening soon between my mother and father. Sorry, but it cannot be helped.

I'm not sure if any of my original readers have noticed or not, but the group will now only stay at the Spirit Mountain Ski Resort for three days, not one-two weeks. I've decided that the entire plot of my story can be covered in three days at the resort. There will, of course, be drama, romance, flashbacks, and a happy ending!

No, I am not obsessed with Lifehouse, they just create beautiful music...

Thank you, to ALL of my readers (and an even bigger thank you to my reviewers) for sticking with me this far into a fic! It means my entire writing career that you all are pleased with my works! I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter of "A Very Good Liar", and will review, and continue to check in on this fic for updates!


	8. Hard to Explain

A Very Good Liar

Disclaimer: As much as I wish it so, Shaman King will never be mine. God knows the havoc I'd unleash. This fic revolves around RenPirika, though there are hints of YohAnna and HorohoroTamao.  
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Chapter Eight  
Hard to Explain  
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During their stargazing, Ren often found himself staring at Pirika, rather than looking at the stars with her. _'I can't believe that I've finally got you back, Pirika...Hell, maybe I won't even have to cancel to engagement...but that can wait until tomorrow.'_ he thought as he glanced back up at the stars. He then felt a sudden weight on his shoulder.

Looking down, he saw that she had fallen asleep against his shoulder. He smiled a little at how peaceful she looked. He took a final glance at the stars before hooking his arms underneath her knees and shoulders. The Chinese shaman was surprised that Pirika hadn't woken up, but merely grinned and carried her, bridal style, into the hotel room.

Ren carefully set her down on the right side of the bed, pulling the blankets overtop of her. Pirika only snuggled deeper into the pillow she was now resting on. _'She's quite a heavy sleeper...'_ the purple haired teen man thought, walking over to the closet in search of more blankets. Once he had grabbed the spare blankets and another pillow, and after he had set up his bed on the couch, he quietly shut the doors that led to the balcony. His golden eyes widened when he heard Pirika stir slightly at the soft "click" that seemed to resound off of the walls, but his held breath was let out slowly once he heard her settle once again.

He lifted up the covers he had placed on the couch and prepared to become wrapped in their warmth, but was stopped by a groggy voice, "Ren-kun, you don't have to sleep on the couch. There is more than enough room on this bed for the both of us." Pirika said, yawning slightly when she finished. "But that wouldn't be proper, Pirika!" he stated, even as he entertained the thought of holding the Ainu as she slept.

"No but's, Tao Ren. Just lie down next to me and go to sleep." the azure haired woman managed through another yawn, obviously tired. Ren grabbed the pillow he had previously stolen from the bed, and made his way to place the said object back where it belonged. "Fine, but if my sister decides to make any nightly visits, you'll be the one to explain why we are in the same bed."

"I can live with that." Pirika mumbled, her arm reaching behind her as Ren climbed under the covers. "What?" he asked, confused about why she had her arm outstretched underneath his nose. "Give me your hand." Ren complied, still not catching on. Once the Ainu's fingers were clasped with the Tao's, she pulled his arm around her waist, forcing him to spoon her.

"Pirika!" he yelped in startlement. Sure, he liked the position they were in, but this was quite a step farther from holding hands and kissing. And, even though they had held each other like this before, it was so long ago that every familiar feeling he was experiencing was new. He remembered how he used to sneak into her room and hold her close to him just like this, being careful to wake up before Horohoro could barge into the room and catch him laying with his little sister.

"I roll, so sue me. At least now I won't roll off the bed." Ren stiffened slightly, not sure whether he should trust her reasoning, but he relaxed when she squeezed his hand lightly.

"Goodnight, Pirika." he whispered, resting his head next to hers and tucking his knees into the groove that her own body made. "Goodnight, Ren." she spoke slowly, fighting a losing battle against the comfort that sleep offered, after all, it had been a long day. The night was filled with little tossing and turning, and a smile graced each sleeper's face as they dreamed.  
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The next morning  
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Ren awoke first, his fiancé wrapped up in his embrace, a tranquil expression on her features. The Chinese shaman smiled a little before leaning down to kiss her cheek lightly. This awakened the ocean eyed girl, who stretched in the purple haired man's arms.

"Good morning, Ren." Pirika said as she began to sit up, stretching again. The Chinese shaman blinked as sunlight shined through the glass doors that led out onto the balcony. "Good morning, Pirika." He pulled the covers off of his shoulders and reached for his suitcase. "You hungry?" The Ainu asked him, to which she received a slight nod, "I'm going to take a shower first, though, and then I'll raid the fridge for something." She gave a slight nod, "I'll shower once you're done, then."

"Why not just join me?" he asked, a grin making its way across his face. He laughed once he looked at Pirika's flabbergasted expression. "You should have seen the look on your face! Priceless!" Ren exclaimed, amused. He grabbed a black t-shirt from his suitcase, slinging it over his shoulder, and began to reach for his black cargo pants. Just as his fingers closed around the material, he felt something soft slam into the back of his head.

"What the Hell?" he said, confused as he turned around, black boxers and cargo pants clutched in his left hand. Pirika stood on the bed before him, proudly holding a pillow, a smirk clearly visible on her lips. "You're such a pervert, Tao Ren!" she said as she threw her pillow at him again. This time, however, Ren had grabbed his own pillow with his right hand and blocked her blow. He copied his girlfriend's smirk as he swiftly, but lightly threw the pillow at her.

His well-planned throw was dodged and, for his treachery, he received a pillow to the face. He laughed as he held up his hands, "I give up! It was only a joke, I take it back! Just stop whacking me with the softness!" Pirika laughed a little, and then raised a hand to her chin in mock-thought, "Hmmmm...no." she stated simply, as she raised the pillow to throw it at him. She would have succeeded, too, had Ren not decided to grab her ankle and pull her back down onto the bed.

Ren laughed at her squeal of surprise, rolling over next to her. Pirika pouted fakely, and looked at the shaman lying next to her, a smile gracing her face. Ren leaned in, kissing her deeply. Just as Pirika began to respond to the kiss, he pulled back, grabbing his clothes and running toward the bathroom, laughing. "Made you stop hitting me, didn't I?" he asked with a chuckle, but had to duck his head inside the bathroom and shut the door as another pillow was thrown at him, only to slide, harmlessly, down to the floor.

He heard her laugh slightly as he turned the shower on, the clothes he would be changing into resting next to the sink. As the hot water washed through his hair, rinsing out the herbal shampoo that had previously clung to the tongari he sported, he thought of many things. The engagement was the one that weighed the heaviest on his mind.

They were once engaged, years ago, but then Pirika had made a call to his father, thus ending the entire engagement. He never knew why she did that, as Pirika refused to tell him. So he respected her cold wish, and they grew distant. This ski trip is the closest that they've been since their last engagement.

They never did talk about why the engagement was canceled, or what Ren did wrong. Eventually, though, Pirika cooled down, believing that it was too late to really salvage their relationship and engagement. So the Tao had to settle for nothing more than friendship.

Ren smiled as he pulled his shirt on, the steam on the bathroom mirror finally beginning to fade.. Sure, things may have been rocky for a long time, but they were almost in the clear. The only thing he had left to tackle was the engagement. How could they act like they weren't in love now? What would be the point?

Ren took a deep breath as he opened the bathroom door, "Pirika I think we need to-" he had been about to form a complete sentence, but was interrupted by a pillow smacking him in the face. He heard his girlfriend laugh as she darted past him, locking the bathroom door behind him. "How vindictive." Ren chuckled, picking up the pillow and tossing it onto the bed.

The purple haired man opened the cupboards. Chinese food was great and all, but he only liked to have one thing for breakfast: cereal. He found what he was looking for, and knew that Jun had put the boxes in there. Ren munched happily on his Froot Loops (AN: I don't own those...), waiting for Pirika to finish her shower. Once she did, he had finished his cereal and was watching as she poured a bowl of her own.

"You still like Froot Loops, I see." she said, amused. He nodded and smiled, but his smile was soon replaced by seriousness as Pirika sat down and began to eat. "Pirika, you remember how we used to be engaged, right?" Ren's girlfriend stared at him, her spoon halting midway to her lips, "Of course, how could I forget?"

"What do you think would've happened, had our engagement never been canceled?" he asked softly, "Do you think that we'd be here today? Would we be married? Would we live in China? What do you think?" Pirika thought for a moment, "Well, Ren-kun, if we were still engaged, then I'm sure that we would have been much closer over the past few years, so who knows where we would be now?"

The Chinese shaman nodded, "True. Now then, can we clear the past up a little, Pirika-chan? Why did you call my father and end our engagement?" Pirika knew that he would eventually ask this, so she blushed and mumbled, "I thought that you were having an affair with Yuna-chan." This caused Ren to choke on his own spit, "What! She's my cousin!"

"I didn't know that!"

"How could you _not_ know, Pirika?" Ren asked, slightly sick at the idea of having an affair with Akira Yuna. "You guys never acted like cousins, so I assumed that all of the attention she gave you was affection! And, she was never mentioned as your cousin, so I had all the right to assume those things!" Pirika stated, blushing harder, and staring at her Froot Loops.

The Ainu's boyfriend sighed and ran a hand through his hair, this was quite disturbing news. "How long have you known that she's my cousin?" Ren asked, hearing a quiet reply from Pirika, "Since yesterday."

"What! Hey, that explains why you were acting so weird when we got off the elevator with Kotaro...I can't believe you thought that I was cheating on you with Yuna!" Ren spoke, laughing a little at the absurdity of it all. Pirika laughed, too, but her mirth was halted at the confused shaman's next question, "Pirika-chan, you know that I love you too much to ever even consider having an affair, right?" The azure haired woman nodded, so the tiger eyed man continued, "Then what did Yuna and I do that led you to believe that I would do such a thing to you?"

Pirika gave a sad smile and began her tale.  
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Flashback, Ren - Fifteen years old, Pirika - Fourteen years old, Yuna - Fifteen years old, Yoh - Fifteen years old  
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Akira Yuna sat on the rooftop next to Tao Ren, watching the sky fade from orange to black. It was a quiet moment that they shared, simply drinking in the dieing light. His cousin turned to face him, and sighed, "Well, Ren-kun, I can see that you and Pirika are happy together. I will go back to China with no regrets and inform Uncle En of these developments. I am truly happy for you, my cousin."

Ren nodded, and glanced in Yuna's direction to see that she had tears forming in her eyes. Sympathy rose up inside of him and the purple haired shaman tapped the dark haired girl's shoulder, "What's wrong, Yuna?" he asked, concerned. The said girl turned her chocolate gaze onto him, wiping away her tears, "I've just been here for so long. Now that the tournament is over, I'll be going back to China. I've made so many friends in Japan, and I don't really want to go back...'cause I like it here."

With that, she looked over at her cousin, "Ren, do you remember how close we used to be when we were young?" she asked. This query was received by a tiny nod and slightly pink cheeks. "Well, why aren't we that close anymore?" This question surprised the fierce eyed teen, and he cocked his head to the side in thought, "I guess we just grew up. I had my shaman training to worry about, and you had other concerns. We just aren't kids anymore, I guess."

Yuna sadly smiled at his words, "We used to have a lot of fun, didn't we, Ren?" Her words caused a grin to make its way onto his face, "Yes, I remember the games of tag we used to play, and how Jun-san would yell at us to quit running inside the mansion."

"And then I would stick my tongue out at you from behind Jun-san's back, and you would take to chasing me again." Yuna laughed a little at the thought, but then another sad smile swam across her features, "We just grew up, Ren?"

"Yeah, maybe we grew up a little too fast, huh?"

"Maybe not." Yuna whispered, making Ren lean a little closer, "What?" Yuna smirked dangerously at her unsuspecting cousin before reaching out and poking him hard in the chest, much to his surprise and utter bewilderment. "Tag!" she whispered in his ear before leaping off the roof and onto the ground below.

Ren's tiger-gold eyes widened, but soon narrowed as he remembered how his cousin always managed to elude being "it". She was always good at tag, but with his shamanic training, the Tao was almost certain that he was better than her now. The age-old battles that were waged and unfinished between the cousins then took control, forcing Ren to act childish once again as he jumped down to pursue the laughing girl.

"Come on, Renny! You can do better than that!" Yuna shouted as she narrowly dodged one of Ren's grabs. "You're not going to escape this time, Yuna!" he growled out playfully, lashing out again at her as he chased her through the backyard of the En Inn. Right as his fingers were about to close around the fabric of her shirt, she turned sharply, surprising Ren, but only momentarily, as he was right behind her, reaching out again.

Finally, halfway across the yard for the third time, Ren decided that he'd spent enough time being "it", so he tackled his cousin round the middle, landing so that he took the brunt of the fall. Yuna laughed as the purple haired Chinese smirked through the dirt on his face and said quietly, but victoriously, "Tag, you're it..."

"About time, Ren." Yuna stated as she stood up, brushing the specks of dirt off of her shirt, "Did you have to tackle me, though?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as he got up and tried to wipe the dirt off of his face. "Hey, you've tackled me before! Several times, in fact!" Ren stated indignantly, but he laughed with the raven haired girl anyway. Until she hugged him, that is.

"What the-" the Chinese shaman muttered, but he was interrupted, "Shut up, Ren. Just hug me." Yuna said, still not letting him go. "Why? I haven't done anything to deserve this sort of punishment." he asked quietly, beginning to reach his arms around the chocolate eyed girl. "You helped me be a kid again. Thank you, Ren-kun." The said teen smirked as he finally embraced his cousin back, "I had to get you back for all of those times that I was 'it'."

They released each other and started for the roof once more, unaware that someone stood upon the roof, glaring through her tears down at them both before running inside and asking Kyouyama Anna for the telephone.

Pirika had only seen Yuna get off of Ren and then hug him, she couldn't hear any words that had been spoken and had not known that they were playing tag before she arrived at her and Ren's nightly meeting place. She had hoped to find Tao Ren sitting on the roof, as she had arrived slightly later because Horohoro had eaten more than usual, thus creating more dirty dishes for Pirika to take care of, but found, instead, an empty roof and her romantic rival hugging her boyfriend.

Anna handed over the wireless phone to the distressed girl, scowling at the tears that were plainly forming in Pirika's eyes. The blond watched as the Ainu ran up the stairs, dialing a number that she knew by heart. Asakura Yoh, the Shaman King snuck up behind his fiancé, snaking his arms around her waist and kissing her on the cheek, "I cleaned the dining room, living room, and bathrooms can I _please_ be done for the night?" the brown eyed boy begged. Anna smiled slightly, "Only if you go and see what's wrong with Pirika."

Yoh raised an eyebrow, "Alright, what's wrong with her?" Anna shook her head, "I'm not sure, that's what you're going to go find out." Yoh nodded in concern, kissing the future Shaman Queen's cheek again before he walked toward the stairs after his friend.

In her room, Pirika wiped away the tears that were falling, listening to the phone ring. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she heard an elderly servant say, "Hello, Tao residence?" Pirika took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to do, "This is Pirika the Ainu, could you please put me through to Tao En or Tao Ran?"

"One moment, Lady Pirika." he responded. There was a brief silence as the elderly man connected her to the main bedroom of Tao En and Ran, but the deep voice of the head of the Tao Clan soon rumbled through the receiver, "Hello, Tao En speaking."

"Otou-san," she spoke meekly into the phone, "Its Pirika." The large man's voice instantly became more gentle, "Pirika-chan, what is wrong?" Ainu inhaled sharply and spoke quietly, but surely into the phone, "I want you to terminate my engagement to your son."

The large man's surprise was plain, and could be heard as he nearly choked on the air he was breathing, "Pirika-chan, why would you want me to do that?" En was truly confused by this young girl's wish, as he was led to believe by Yuna's occasional phone calls that Ren and Pirika were getting along spectacularly well, and even seemed to be falling for each other.

"Please, Otou-san, I just need you to do this." The sob that nearly escaped her mouth wasn't missed by the only father figure that she'd ever had. "Pirika-chan, what has Ren done?" he asked sternly, his anger growing with every word. He heard an audible hiccup from the other end, a sure sign that she was holding back tears. "_Please_, Otou-san? I really don't want to explain my need for this." She still loved Ren. In fact, she loved him enough to allow him to love someone else. She didn't want to cause him any trouble with his parents.

There was a long stretch of silence on the other end before Pirika heard En say quietly, "Alright, my chibi tenshi, I'll break off the engagement...but I still want you to call me if you ever need anything. You are still a part of this family, do you understand?" He heard a weak "yes" and continued, "And if Ren has done anything wrong, just wait and he'll come around. Call the minute you change your mind, if ever." He could tell that she needed some time alone, so he said, "I love you, my chibi tenshi, Pirika-chan. Promise to call if you ever need anything?"

"I promise. I love you, too, Otou-san. Good bye." with that she hung up, leaving a very large, forlorn man staring at the receiver in China. Sadly, that was the last time that Pirika had ever called him her father. She rarely called, and it was usually just to ask for some help in buying a plane ticket to visit the Patch Village again.

Yoh waited until he couldn't hear mumbled words coming from inside the room before he knocked on the beam of the sliding door, "Pirika-chan, can I come in?" he asked through the door, hearing the muffled sobs inside. There was something very wrong with his friend, and he was going to find out what it was, else his concern might drive him to the end of his wits.

He slowly slid open the door, walking in cautiously in case Pirika had been angry at him. "Pirika, what's wrong?" he asked kindly, moving to sit next to her on her futon. Pirika hiccupped as she tried to stifle her tears, leaning into the arm that Yoh put around her shoulders. "You can cry all you want, Pirika-chan." So Pirika didn't hold it in any longer, she buried her face into her good friend's shirt and cried for a good twenty minutes before she could speak coherently.

Yoh gently grabbed her shoulders and held her out at arm's length, "That's better. Can you tell me what's bothering you now?" Pirika hesitantly nodded and then shrugged out of her brown haired friend's hands, "Yoh, you and Anna-san have known each other for many years, right?" To this, the Shaman King nodded, "Yes, ever since we were children she's made me cry." Though he had meant that in a joking manner, it just seemed to make the situation worse.

"Wait," he said, putting his hands up defensively, "I didn't mean it that way! Please don't cry again, Pirika-chan." The ocean eyed girl sniffled a little and wiped away the tears that had begun to form at Yoh's words, "You guys fight a lot, don't you?"

"Oh, you noticed that, huh?" the warm-hearted shaman asked with a smile, "We don't fight as much as we used to, but we've had plenty of years to work out our differences. We still fight, but they usually don't matter because we love each other too much to hold a grudge for that long...even though Anna can hold a grudge for a _really long time_!" Pirika laughed a little at that, but was gloomy once again as she asked, "Have you or Anna ever done anything to ruin your engagement?"

Yoh's eyes widened slightly, "Well, Pirika, the truth is, I don't think we could've gotten out of our engagement even if we'd wanted to. Our families are dead set on continuing the shamanic bloodline. I'm just thankful that Anna never wanted to break it off. Why do you ask all these questions about Anna and me? I came up here to see what was wrong with _you_."

Pirika sighed, "My boyfriend...I saw him with another woman. We were engaged, and I just ended everything...but I still love him." Yoh's eyes were wide open by the time she had finished, "I didn't even know that you had a boyfriend, much less that you were engaged...does Horohoro know?" He received a nod, so he continued, "It could've been a mistake, but, then again, it might really have been what you saw. I remember once, before the tournament began, that I came home with a string of Silva's hair on my shoulder. Anna went berserk and wouldn't listen to me when I tried to explain that I wasn't having an affair, and that Silva was a man."

Pirika laughed at Yoh's tale, cheered slightly by his embarrassing story. "The point is, Pirika-chan, you don't have to forgive him, but you should, at least, get an explanation. Who knows, maybe you just need to sit down and talk. Could you explain to me what you saw, exactly?"

"The woman who has been trying to steal my boyfriend away from me since we met was on top of him, they were laughing, and then they embraced each other." Pirika stated coldly, malice staining her eyes an even darker blue. "Wow, Pirika-chan, I don't know what to say. It sounds really bad, but you're the only one who can decide what to do about all of this." Yoh stood up, giving her a hug before he turned to leave, "I hope you're feeling better, even if I didn't really help."

"You helped a lot, Yoh-kun. Thank you." The Shaman King smiled, "I may seem like an easy going guy, but I'll take on anyone who takes away a friend's smile, okay?" Pirika nodded, trying to hold back tears as she remembered that Ren used to say something similar to that when she cried. Yoh was just trying to help his friend, he didn't know that Ren had caused all of this, as the Chinese and the Ainu decided to keep their relationship a secret. They did this, mostly, because Horohoro felt that it wasn't really anyone's business because "it wasn't final", and because he was still picking fights with Ren.

Yoh left the room and Pirika began to cry silently, tears leaking down her cheeks at the sheer betrayal that she felt. After another hour, Pirika had worked out all of her tears and had lain down. Just as she began to do that, Ren knocked quietly on her door, coming in once he heard no response. He frowned when he saw the tearstains on her cheeks. He knew, now, that distress kept her from meeting him tonight.

"Pirika, what's wrong?" he asked, making his way toward her. He was stopped by the icy glare that she sent his way, "Don't come any closer, Tao." Befuddlement made itself clear as day on the purple haired shaman's face, "Why did you call me that?" Pirika stood up and turned around whispering, "You come in here and act like everything is okay, and then expect me to just ignore how much you've hurt me?"

"What the Hell are you talking about, Pirika?" he asked, very confused now. "We are no longer engaged, I have called your father, and he has ended our relationship."

"Why would you go and do something like that when we're-"

"In love?" Pirika finished. Ren nodded, his frown starting to disappear with the hope that his girlfriend was finally coming around. "Not anymore, Tao Ren." The said boy's mouth dropped open at her statement, "What the Hell happened Pirika? What did I do?" This only seemed to anger her further as she spoke a little louder, "You don't know what you did! Fine then, until you figure out what you did wrong, I refuse to converse with someone so low. Please exit my room."

"I'm not moving until you tell me what the Hell I've done wrong!" Pirika stared coldly at him, "Don't make me get Yoh." Ren's tiger-gold eyes shone with confusion, hurt, and anger, but he said one thing before he exited the room, "I still love you, and I'm sorry for whatever I did. If we can talk about it, then that's great, but if we can't...then, please, don't just ignore me. You're too big a part of my life for me to live with you doing that." With that, he exited the room, pushing the tiny box that had been clasped in his hands into his pocket.

There were two people crying that night.  
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Present time  
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The entire time that his girlfriend was talking, Ren's eyes got wider. When Pirika was finished, she looked up at him to see that he was staring at her, as if in a daze. "Ren-kun. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and I should've talked to you about it." she said, a small tear forming in her eye at the realization that the entire thing was a mistake. "You're right, you should've talked to me about it." the purple haired shaman said, running a hand through his hair again, "But if I'd have seen you and Kotaro like that, I would've jumped to conclusions, too."

Pirika wiped the tear out of her eyes and welcomed the embrace that Ren leaned over to give her. "It's in the past, though, we can't change it. We just have to make up for all of that lost time." Ren said quietly, leaning in to press his lips to hers. "One more question, though." Pirika said, before Ren could kiss her. He sighed, but nodded for her to continue. "What were you and Yuna doing before I saw you two together?"

Ren laughed a little as he remembered it, "As bad as it may have looked, it was completely innocent! We were, of all things, playing tag before you saw us! I had tackled her, but made sure that I took the brunt of the fall. Yuna hugged me to thank me for acting like a kid and playing with her." Pirika laughed slightly, too, and met him halfway for her kiss.

_'This would be a good time to bring up the engagement...'_ Ren thought as they parted. So he cleared his throat, "Er, Pirika-chan, was I a good fiancé?" he asked, working his way up to the explanation. Pirika smiled and said, "My happiest memories were always with you."

"Well," he gulped, "Then I have to confess something." He grimaced as he saw the confusion laced throughout her gaze. "Pirika, our little prank on your brother led to our-" he was interrupted by the dreaded beep that seemed to haunt him. The door was pushed open and the foreboding figure of Tao En grumpily walked into room Forty-Four A, the petite Tao Ran following behind him.

"Ren, what is going on?" he demanded, his deep voice abrasive in the purple haired shaman's ears. Tao Ran put a soothing hand on her husband's elbow, and said, "Yes, Ren, at first it seemed like you wanted the engagement, and that you and Pirika-chan were in love again, but then we received a call from Jun and she told us that you no longer wanted the engagement."

"So your mother and I have come to see, in person, what the truth is." En finished, his gaze softening as he saw that Pirika was in the room as well, though she seemed to be very confused by this whole ordeal. "Ren, what's going on?" she asked quietly. Jun walked into the room and watched as the man that everyone else was staring at sighed and turned to the woman he loved.

"Pirika, as my Father and Mother have made plainly clear, our little prank that we pulled on your brother has led to our engagement. Horohoro had called my parents two days ago. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't think that it would make you very happy to know that we were engaged, _again_. I can see that I've made the wrong choice." Ren smiled sadly, "But we're in love, right?"

His smile got brighter when he saw the now clued-in Ainu give a small smile of her own as she nodded. Ren held up a finger as he rose out of his chair and headed for his suitcase, bringing back a tiny, black velvet box. He then proceeded to kneel in front of his girlfriend, regardless of the gasps of delight from his mother and older sister, and the grunt of surprise and pride from his large father, "I've had this ring since I was fifteen, and I had planned on asking you to marry me the night that our previous engagement was canceled. So I'm going to ask you properly, now."

Ren held out the box, opening it to reveal one of the most beautiful diamond rings that Pirika had ever seen. "Pirika of the Ainu, will you marry me and make up for lost time?" he asked with a true smile. Pirika mirrored his own expression, though she cried tears of joy, and held out her finger so he could put on the ring. "Yes, Tao Ren, I will marry you..." she whispered, all too happy to kiss him back as his lips met hers.

The Chinese family looked on as the eighteen year old man and seventeen year old woman embraced, whispering their "I love you's and kissing as if there was no one else in the room. "I'll take that as a yes." the largest family member said, causing the couple to look around them and laugh in slight embarrassment. "I knew that you and my little brother would come around eventually." Jun said with a laugh, receiving an embrace from the betrothed girl. "Welcome back to the family, Pirika-chan." Ran said, her eyes shining as she embraced her future daughter in law. "Thank you Ona-chan, Okaa-san. I love you both."

As she stepped in front of the man that towered above everyone else in the room, her smile grew wider. "You were never _not_ a part of this family, Pirika-chan." Tao En spoke quietly, reaching down to the woman he had always considered his daughter. Pirika gladly accepted his warm hug as he lifted her into his arms, "I love you, Otou-san." she whispered, bringing tears to the old man's eyes. "I Love you, too, my chibi tenshi."

Ren watched all of this in mild fascination, before the two women of whom he was actually related to ran over to him, squealing in delight. "About time, Ren!" Jun said as she hugged him from the left side of his body, "Yes, I was beginning to worry." Ran said from the right.

"There was never anything to worry about, Okaa-san." Pirika stated as she was set down by her father-to-be. Her ocean eyes caught Ren's golden ones as she walked over to him, taking him by the hand. "We've been in love since we were first engaged." the purple haired shaman finished for his fiancé, tucking some of her azure hair behind her ear. Then they kissed again, no longer a care in the world.  
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Whew...that took forever to write. The truth of the matter is, I didn't know what I was going to say happened when Pirika canceled their first engagement...until about two hours ago, that is!

To clear up any prior confusions, I am not dead, nor suffering any illness (except insanity). I haven't updated in so long because I haven't had very much time on the computer or the internet! I would also like to state that, to explain any OOCness, in case it was missed, the characters are all around the age of eighteen, so they're bound to change a little from when they were teenagers to young adults! Also, Ren is in love, people who are in love, generally, generally act differently with their loved one than they do with everyone else. I also had to change the dollar signs to dashs because the library computers don't let me save what I edit on the documents!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and all of that other great stuff! As of the posting of this chapter, this story has ninety reviews...wow, you guys flatter me too much! I'd like to give a big shout out to my reviewers, you guys are awesome! And I would like to thank all of the readers, but I _would_ appreciate the reviews!

Don't worry, there is still one more chapter (maybe even two)! I hope that you can all bear with me until then! Again, please review!


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